August 30, 2025

Life in the Land: Dough Offering

Only three commandments in Jewish law and tradition are explicitly required of women: 1) to light the candles at every Sabbath meal on Friday night (a rabbinic tradition); 2) to maintain proper menstrual purity (e.g., Leviticus 12:1-8; 15:19-33; and 3) to give a dough offering when baking in fulfillment of Numbers 15:17-21 (cf. Nehemiah 10:37).

You may be familiar with classic challah bread, a staple in Jewish homes on the Sabbath and holidays, but before making this bread, many Jewish women perform Hafrashat Challah, which means in Hebrew, “the separation of challah.” This commandment requires women when baking to set aside for the priests a small lump of kneaded dough. This action is seen as a way to invite blessing into the home and to thank God for his provisions. In the absence of an active priesthood, the women are permitted instead to burn the separated dough or to throw it away in a double-wrapped container, but not before reciting a blessing like the following:

“May it be Your will, Eternal, our God, that the commandment of separating challah be considered as if I had performed it with all its details and ramifications. May my elevation of the challah be comparable to the sacrifice that was offered on the altar, which was acceptable and pleasing. Just as giving the challah to the priests in former times served to atone for sins, so may it atone for mine, and make me like a person reborn without sins. May it enable me to observe this holy day with my husband and our children and to become imbued with its holiness. May the spiritual influence of the command of challah enable our children to be constantly sustained by the hands of the Holy One, blessed is He, with His abundant mercy, lovingkindness and love. Consider the command of challah as if I have given the tithe, and just as I am fulfilling this command with all my heart, so may Your compassion be aroused to keep me always from sorrow and pain. Amen.”

Some women even carry a large pot of dough to the women’s section at the Western Wall in Jerusalem where they knead it, separate a piece of the dough, lift it up and pray for their family, loved ones or a specific need for themselves or for others. Last year one woman decided to visit the wall every Thursday night to fulfill Hafrashat Challah, publicly reciting the names of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. A single woman I witnessed in an online video approached one of the ladies performing Hafrashat Challah at the Wall and requested prayer for a future husband in a very touching display of unity between two strangers.

–Daniel McCabe

Our New Community Seminar Series for Fall 2025

Topic: “The Greatest Biblical Archaeological Discoveries of All Time”—our weekly multimedia presentation will cover such finds as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, the Pilate Stone and more.

Teacher: Dr. Daniel McCabe, MACE, ThM, DMin—Executive Director of Shalom Y’all Ministries, former Instructor at the College of Biblical Studies and Pastor of Cullman Bible Church

Location: Golden Corral at 1720 Cherokee Ave SW in Cullman, Alabama

Time: Mondays, 6:00-7:15 pm, starting September 22, eight weeks

Cost: Free—you can attend the seminar without purchasing a buffet or you can choose to enjoy a meal before, during or after the seminar. All ages are welcome to attend.

To Launch: We need a minimum of 10 people to sign up for the seminar before we can launch, so please let us know of your interest by clicking on the attached link.

Trivia (Answer below)

To what does the Hebrew word “apple of the earth” (tapuah adama) refer?

A. Beet

B. Onion

C. Potato

D. Watermelon

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History: The Apostolic Fathers

Polycarp of Smyrna, part 2

Born in the very year that Jerusalem fell to the Romans in 70 A.D., this man with the funny name is perhaps my favorite leader in the early church. You might recognize the name of the city where he pastored, for Smyrna is one of seven churches addressed by Jesus in Revelation 2-3. I’ve always called this church, “The Persecuted Church,” for after speaking of their tribulation in 2:9, Jesus ominously prophesies even more persecution in v. 10, “Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Historical accounts in the first and second centuries suggest that Polycarp knew many contemporaries of Jesus and that he had been taught and personally appointed as Bishop of Smyrna by none other than John the apostle, the writer of the book of Revelation.

As a young man Polycarp likewise met Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, on his way to Rome where the emperor fed his body to the lions in the coliseum. Little did Polycarp know that one day he too would face a martyr’s death for his faith in Jesus.

Here is B. K. Kuiper’s account of Polycarp’s martyrdom in The Church in History:-

“Since there were no images of the gods in the houses of worship of the Christians, the heathen rightly concluded that Christians did not believe in the existence of the gods; and so they accused them of being atheists (people who believe there is no God). The proconsul reminded Polycarp of his great age and urged him to show his penitence by joining in the cry, ‘Away with the atheists!’ Polycarp looked straight at the excited crowd, pointed his finger at them, and cried, ‘Away with the atheists!’ Then the proconsul said, ‘Revile Christ and I will release you.’ But Polycarp answered, ‘Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has never done me wrong; how can I blaspheme Him, my King, who has saved me? I am a Christian….’

Wood was collected and made into a pile. Polycarp asked not to be fastened to the stake. ‘Leave me thus,’ he said. ‘He who strengthens me to endure the flames will also enable me to stand firm at the stake without being fastened with nails.’ The wood pile was lighted. While Polycarp prayed with a loud voice, ‘Lord God Almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I praise you that you have judged me worthy of this day and of this hour to participate in the number of your witnesses and in the cup of your Christ,’ the flames consumed him. Polycarp’s martyr death took place in the year 155.”

Wear your crown well, Pastor Polycarp, or better yet, lay it at Jesus’ feet as you hear him say, “Well done, faithful one”! May the Lord find us faithful too whether our death be at the hand of an earthly executioner or whether we will pass from this life into the next at the coming of our Savior.

Daniel McCabe

The High Priestly Prayer of John 17, part 2

This chapter is commonly known as the High Priestly Prayer because the Lord addressed the Father on behalf of Himself, His disciples, and even us today. The only worthy mediator between God and man cared deeply enough to intercede for us in prayer.

So let’s start at John 17:1, “When Jesus had spoken these words,” and these are all the words from chapter 13 up to this point, “He lifted his eyes to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You.’”

Now Jesus was of course anticipating all the events that would happen through His rejection, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and ascension, all the things that are about to happen over the next several days, weeks and even months that would bring glory to the Son.

He says, “That the Son may glorify You,” and, of course, simply put, the meaning of life and the purpose of all existence in the universe is ultimately to bring glory to God. That’s what Jesus has on His mind here.

He says in v. 2, “Since You have given Him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him.” You can easily get lost here in the pronouns of Him and You and all that’s going on here, but remember that this is the divine Son talking to the divine Father, and, of course, we can never fully comprehend the complexities of the Trinity until we’re in heaven. I think we’ll get it more then, but even there we’ll never fully comprehend God in His totality. We can’t. It’s something that we can never comprehend, but we apprehend it and trust it. We believe God is one God in three persons or subsistencies, if you will, and there’s many different ways to approach the topic. But this is the divine Son addressing the divine Father. Again, as creatures we will never fully comprehend it, but the Father has entrusted authority over all flesh to the Son just as we learn in John 1 that “all things were created through Him” and in this verse that He gives “eternal life to all whom You have given Him.”

Jesus has authority over all creation in a special way. He says in v. 3, “This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent,” and that really sums up the gospel in a unique way.

What is eternal life? Well, it’s really knowing God. There are many different ways in which the Bible talks about the different aspects and facets of what it means to be saved. I’ve often said that if you ask different believers, “What does it mean to be saved? What is the gospel? How do you have eternal life?” then they might give you different answers. Their answers wouldn’t be wrong. They’d just be different facets of the answer.

What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? In John 17 we see one aspect of this—to know God personally. Of course, Jesus Christ is God whom the Father has sent.

What does it really mean to have faith? It means loyalty. It means obedience. It means love. It means faith. It means all sorts of things. But Jesus describes it here in v. 3, “This is eternal life that they know You.” We must truly know God, the only true God. Jesus continues thinking back to His earthly ministry in v. 4, “I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” Jesus revealed the truth of God. He put on display the signs of the kingdom—healing people, giving sight to the blind and giving life to people, and all that He did in His earthly ministry, He glorified the Father with it.

Next, He says in v. 5, “And now, Father,” and this is His request, “Glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed.”

I’ve written previously about Philippians 2 which, like here, discusses Jesus leaving the glory of heaven, coming down and then eventually going back up to be given the name that is above all names. Jesus thinks back to the time before the incarnation and to the perfect glory that He received in the presence of the Father all time. Naturally He’s looking forward to going back to that state, if you will, as He completes His earthly mission.

Adam Keim

Name That Fruit (Answer below)

I have two for you today.

1. This fruit looks like a green pine cone or perhaps like a cross between an artichoke and an alligator. On the inside it has creamy off-white pulp and chunky dark seeds. It’s a bit grainy, but very sweet and rich in iron. Do you know the name of this strange Israeli-grown fruit.

2. This beautiful fuchsia (sometimes green) fruit looks like a tropical flower. Sometimes categorized as a super fruit, it’s low in calories, but high in nutrients, including Vitamin C, antioxidants and calcium. Some say it tastes like a cross between a kiwi and a pear. The pulp can be either white or red. Do you know it?

Daniel McCabe

Answers to the Quiz:

1. Annona–also known as the sugar apple;

2. Dragonfruit—also called pitaya in Israel

Answer to the Trivia

C. Potato

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