.
You’ll notice that the word for hand, yad 
,
is found at the beginning of the word for thanksgiving. From a Hebraic
perspective, giving thanks to God is literally to hold out the hand (to
revere or worship with extended hands).November 2005
"Todah,
Abba"
Thank you, Father
Dear Mishpochah (Family) in Yeshua,
"Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!"
I Chronicles 16:8-9
Thank You, Lord!
Giving thanks to God is a very Hebraic concept. The above verses from the book of I Chronicles are part of a psalm of thanksgiving written by King David on the occasion of the placement of the Aron HaKodesh (the ark of the covenant) in the tabernacle that David had erected for it in the City of David.
Next month, we will send you our own psalm of thanksgiving, sharing all that God did when the present day Aron HaKodesh (that’s us – our 2005 Mercy Mission group) arrived at the City of David (Jerusalem). This month, however, we want to "make known His deeds" and "talk of all His wondrous works" here in the U.S.A. and other parts of the world.
We thank the Lord for touching hearts through the ministry of Jewish Jewels. As His servants, we acknowledge that any fruit produced through us springs forth from the grace and power of God, as we get out of the way and allow Him to live in us, and through us. "For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). Thank you, our family in Messiah, for making it possible for us to minister on TV, in person and in print by your faithful, loving support. "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers" (I Thessalonians 1:2).
Giving Thanks: The Hebrew Root
Before we share some testimonies which are the result of what the Lord has
led us to "put our hand to," we want to look at the root of the
concept of "thanksgiving" in Hebrew. As it turns out,
"thanksgiving" and "hand" go "hand in hand." Here’s
how: The Hebrew root for thanksgiving is ya-DAH .
You’ll notice that the word for hand, yad ,
is found at the beginning of the word for thanksgiving. From a Hebraic
perspective, giving thanks to God is literally to hold out the hand (to
revere or worship with extended hands).
Giving Thanks: With Our Hands
We should not sit on our hands when we thank God. Our outstretched hands - in worship - are ways in which we can say, "Thank you, Abba, for all You have done for us, especially for sending us Your Son, the Messiah, to set us free from the power of sin and death."
Try saying these psalms aloud with your hands lifted and extended in worship:
"O Lord my God, I will give thanks (yaDAH) to You forever" (Psalm 30:12).
"I will give You thanks (yaDAH) in the great assembly" (Psalm 35:18).
"It is good to give thanks (yaDAH) to the Lord" (Psalm 92:1).
Another, more familiar word for thanksgiving, that comes from the root yaDAH
is toe-DAH. Todah also includes the idea of extending the hand and is
written in Hebrew as follows: 
.
Todah is the word used in Hebrew today for "thank you." toe-DAH
ra-BAH means "Thank you very much." "Toe-DAH, Abba"
means "Thank you, Daddy" and is a phrase worth learning for use in
your personal devotions.
Todah, Abba, For The New Alef-Bet Programs
"I have been gloriously enjoying the new Hebrew Alef-Bet programs. I am in the process of trying to learn the Alef-Bet and some basic Hebrew. It is a very timely series of programs for me and I truly appreciate them as a gift from God, Yeshua, Himself!" June Rose – Anderson, SC
Todah, Abba, For Revealing Your Great Love!
"Reading A Kiss A Day was exactly what I needed to enlarge my passion towards Yeshua. I have been studying Song of Solomon for almost a year and have found that the Holy Spirit is revealing to me many of the secrets hidden within it. Just the other day, the Lord spoke to my heart saying, "Empty, Empty, Empty." As I meditated on that phrase, I saw the word EMPTY as an acronym. "E" stood for Enlarge, "M" for My, "P" for Passion, "T" for Towards, and "Y" for Yeshua. Instantly, I understood that as He increases in my life, I must decrease. As I empty myself of me, my passion towards Him enlarges. My heart is to truly learn how to surrender and abide in Him." April Joy – La Crosse, WI
Todah, Abba, For Unusual Healing Miracles
"I was suffering from vertigo as a result of heart surgery many years ago. Recently, I purchased a Kiddush Cup from Jewish Jewels. After praying and then drinking my first cup, the vertigo subsided. The very next day, it was gone!" Paul Jonathan – Westwood, MA
"I had a small miracle and it started from your prayer because you are the only ones I ever told I was allergic to chocolate (except Yeshua and my doctor). Now I have been healed! What a thrill – I’m going to special order Blueberry Truffles!" Jean – Carmichael, CA
Todah, Abba, For Ministering To Those In Prison
"Shalom Alechem! Our Lord said that among other mitzvot, visiting those in prison is blessed by G-d. Though you all are there in South Florida, you have indeed visited the men of this prison, and your presence is powerfully felt by us all. Your extremely generous and kind donations and discounts, your prayers and your expressed love for our Messianic Jewish community have meant more to us than words can fully express. G-d bless you, and thank you all!" Former Inmate, Timothy – Canon City, CO
Todah, Abba, For Confirming The Leading Of Your Ruach
"Around the beginning of September, while watching a ministry on TV, the speaker was discussing fasting, and it stirred something deep in my heart. I felt very strongly that I should be a part of a month long fast beginning before Rosh HaShanah and ending at Yom Kippur. However, the business of life and my own agenda prevented me from doing anything about it. This morning, however, while I was listening to harp-filled praise music and praying (minding my own business), I heard the mail lady drop a few letters through the slot in the door. The Spirit of the Lord impressed upon me that there was something important in the mail. So, after awhile, I got up and checked the day’s mail but found nothing but ads. Then, I felt drawn to your newsletter that I had received earlier, but had placed unopened in my incoming mail basket. Yours was the only mail I was drawn to, and the only piece I pulled out. When opened, your newsletter discussed fasting and the month of preparation. Your God-blessed timing and wording have reassured me. I called Jewish Jewels to share that the Lord is calling me to fast from September 13th to October 13th; exactly one month. It is significant that the Lord had me call Jewish Jewels, as He allowed this fast to begin with a prayer from a ministry that has been "a jewel in my heart" for many years. You are such a gift of encouragement! Pray that I will be found faithful." Cathie – Newark, OH
“I would like to share a testimony with you about one of your programs. For the last year my mom has been talking about buying a house for me to live in. As the time to begin looking draw closer, I began to get “cold feet” and not wanting to put my mom in a financial bind since she is retired. I prayed for a week at the beginning of the year for God to clearly show me if He wanted me to accept this gift. One of the churches in the area was having a Bless Israel weekend with Paul Wilbur performing at all their weekend services. At one point, as a break in the music, Paul Wilbur stopped and repeated the phrase “in the house” about 15 times. I finally said to the Lord, “Okay, I got it – in the house.” That’s when he finally stopped repeating “in the house.” When I arrived home and watched your program it was on Houses and you even offered a House Blessing! I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving to God, Paul Wilbur and both of you.” Angela – Virginia Beach, VA
"Todah, Abba, for hearing the cry of my heart... I
am really sad and my heart is heavy because Neil has told me that we have
to 'come off' some of our TV stations. We are two months behind in
air-time bills and this is neither a good witness nor good business. But, Abba,
that means that the new Alef-Bet Series will end in the MIDDLE on some of our
stations! Even worse, thousands of souls will miss our invitation to receive
Yeshua as their Messiah."
Dear Jewish Jewels family - I am personally appealing to you today to help keep Jewish Jewels on the air. Please pray and ask Abba what He would have you do. As each of us obeys the leading of His Ruach, I'm sure the need will be met.
Expecting a miracle from God and a Blessing for you,
Jamie
We Believe The Lord Will Be Blessed By Every "Todah, Abba" This Thanksgiving,
Neil
P.S. The good news: At least $50,000 in love baskets went to Israel.
"Todah, Abba" for...
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...REVEALING YOUR TRUTH...AND SAVING A JEWISH MOTHER & SON... "May I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your program and coming into my life and changing it. I was raised a Roman Catholic by my stepfather but always felt Jewish. I entered the priesthood and was ordained but chose not to stay because I still felt Jewish. When I came home my mum and stepfather (who was violent) were divorced. She sat me down and told me she was Jewish and I was overjoyed that I was Jewish by birth. I showed her your booklets and she accepted Yeshua! Thanks to Jewish Jewels, I am now a reborn Messianic Jewish boy of 27." Dr. Kastian – England ...TEACHING YOUR TRUTH... "I have learned more from your teachings in these past 10 years than I ever learned in any of the churches I attended in the 55 previous years of my life. They helped in the building of my belief system, but the "trusses" and the "roof" were never put into place until God led me to your television ministry. I now have the "covering" necessary to protect the Truth within. I anticipate with joy when God says to Yeshua – "Go claim Your bride and bring My children home!" Cynthia – Altoona, PA |
...JEWISH JEWELS TEACHING MATERIALS... "Just received and read your book,The Ancient Jewish Wedding... and the Return of Messiah for His Bride – what a treasure! I could "hear" your voice as I read it and "see" your happy face; it was almost as if you were really here (as you are, in my heart, as my sister in Christ!) I think every Christian should read it, as well as every Jewish believer in Yeshua. It would truly bring unity!" Linnie – Sacramento, CA ...PLANTING SEED & WATERING... "I enjoy sharing the gospel with people. My doctor is a young Jewish man who had yet to come to know Messiah. His wife is Christian. During my visit, I was witnessing to my doctor and gave him a videotape and literature from Jewish Jewels. At my next doctor appointment, he let me know that he had become a believer! I was overjoyed to have had a part in his coming to faith by planting seed and watering." Irene – West Palm Beach, FL ...SETTING YOUR PEOPLE FREE... "I was addicted to Effedrine. I was delivered when the shofar was blown on your program." Sue – Venice, FL |