In this "Lama (Hebrew for 'Why?') Talk With Izzy", Izzy explains why we pray the 'Avinu', the 'Our Father' prayer.

Creative teaching on the roles of teaching and midrash in the Messianic Jewish/Hebrew Roots movement. Videos of swerving and exploding arrows. The place where the Holy One will meet with you, speak to you, and reveal his glory to you. Breakdown of the aron/ark/chest/box. Exposition of the mercy seat/kaparah/lid. Illustration of the cherubim/kruvim. Our mission to protect the gospel and gaurd the message of Mashiach. Faces of each man to his brother over the atonement. Meaning of the phrase, and lift up his countenance to you. Differentiating between holiness and extreme holiness. Torah as archery, shooting arrows. You are called to teach. Path to greatness in the Kingdom. Abunch of babies versus teachers. Classical archery and Newton's First Law of Motion. Why Biblical teaching will make you uncomfortable. The why of teaching. Office in the ekklesia. Stricter evaluation and standard. Mission of Messianic Judaism to direct the body of Christ. Relationship between congregation and teacher. Employees deserve their paycheques. Midrash as a search. History of midrash in Jewish world. Beit Midrash and holy texts. Yeshua asked questions and made his talmidim think. What midrash is and isn't. Privelege. Prophetic gift. Short teachings. No arguments, wranglings. dumb speculations, Jewish myths/aggadot. Married women asking husbands. Community life strengthens families and reinforces marriages. No spiritual adultery. Focus on mitzvot and stay practical. The role of grace. Asking God for revelation. Be personal. Speak from God's heart. Give me the facts and apply them to my life. Use parables, stories, analogies, and object lessons like your Rabbi.

Teaching on Exodus 25-27 and Mark 10-11 from a Messianic Jewish Perspective. Personal glimpses of Yeshua. His custom to teach people. Thinking in terms of history. Asking the Rabbi. Yeshua hugs kids and blesses them. Yeshua feels love. Yeshua the man's man. Stereotypical male values from Why Men Hate Going To Church by David Murrow of the Christian men's movement. Challenging. Calls his disciples his sons. Stand to pray. Guys, seriously dynamic equivalent of verily verily. Sacrifice and reward. Courageous, valiant, bold. Shows the path to greatness. Downright aggresive for righteousness. Moving mountains is a Hebrew idiom. Halachic questions on divorce and the context of Hillel and Shammai. Torah wasn't given to angels. Marriage and separation. Invitation to desire, dream big, set quantifiable goals. Vision on the mountain and implementation in the camp. Connection betwen har and harah in Ivrit. God wants your cash and major credit cards. Men are like boards and women are like curtains. Building sisterhood. Men who stand. Building a sanctuary for Hashem in our speech and actions. Hebrew root for mishkan and shechinah. Hebrew root for pattern, tavnit, as son, preceded by aleph and tav. Resurrecting the tabernacle. Blood seals the testimony. The place where the Holy One will meet with you, speak to you, and reveal his glory to you. Breakdown of the aron/ark/chest/box. Exposition of the mercy seat/kaparah/lid. Illustration of the cherubim/kruvim. Our mission to protect the gospel and gaurd the message of Mashiach. Faces of each man to his brother over the atonement. Meaning of the phrase, and lift up his countenance to you. Differentiating between holiness and extreme holiness.

Teaching on Exodus 27-30 and Mark 12 from a Messianic Jewish Perspective. People-watching at the mall. Watch the world with your Rabbi Yeshua. Shema greatest mitzvah, first verse learned by Jewish children, last words of observant Jew. Drought predicted by Josephus. Song of the vineyard in Yeshayahu. Roman legions and multi-layered catastrophe. Strength zones and errors of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. Spirit and power combo. Have you never read favorite question of Mashiach. Hierology. Book show and tell. Truth bomb from Ezekiel's vision. Temple dimensions, dedication of the altar/chanukah hamizbeach, circumcision in heart and flesh, detailed job description and practical instructions for cohanim, temple property, monetary system and just weights and liquid and dry measures, Messianic Nasi's provision for grain, drink, burnt, sin, and peace offerings, festivals of Rosh Chodesh, Pesach, and Sukkot, river flowing from millenial Temple rejuvenating Dead Sea, allotment of land of Israel to twelve tribes, and dimensions of the holy city, Yahweh Shammah. Keeping the menorah burning. Modesty in worship. Priesthood belongs to Aharon and progeny as a law forever. Reason for the Exodus is, his presence. His glory sets us apart, not our actions or lingo. Glory as the full weight of who he is. Only genre of Scripture preceded with a disclaimer. Yeshua will spearhead and build the Temple in the Messianic Era. Cohen ha Gadol as spiritual warrior slipping back and forth between physical and spiritual dimensions. Tachra as coat of mail. Bells striking, pounding, like blacksmith hammer, like hoofbeats of massive war steed. Pray audibly.

In this "Lama (Hebrew for 'Why?') Talk With Izzy", Izzy explains why we have precisely seven readers go up, make aliyah, to the bema or reading pulpit every Shabbat.

Teaching on Exodus 30-34 and Mark 13-14 from a Messianic Jewish Perspective. Yeshua's inner circle. Check out our Passover seder teaching. Hebrew term for Dad, Abba, makes it through Greek to English. Jewish context of Gospel of Mark. Mashiach Ben Hamevorach. Yeshua used circumlocutions. Chronology of Acharit Hayamim. Abomination of desolation kickoff. Holocaust was worse than destruction of Second Temple, rules out preterist position. Rapture and the kibbutz hagaliyot, ingathering of the exiles from Amidah in Siddur. Small differences are BIG. Enlarged nun and Rav Chesed. Hebrew roots of English words. Book show and tell with The Word by Isaac Mozeson. Bitterness, pain, and suffering resulting in freedom. Ancient copyrighted essential oils recipe. His presence distinguishes us. The ten commandments as ten words, aseret hadvarim, eser hadibrot. Inconsistency of netilat yadaim. Shabbat as sign of eternal covenant. Global catastrophe on economic and geographical scales. Allah as curse. Old Covenant connections with freshness and freedom. Picture of New Covenant. Divine revelation of mercy, grace, patience, forgiveness at the heart of the Old Testament. Asherah and book show and tell The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop. New Covenant experience prophesied by Ezekiel includes restoration of God's honour, ingathering to Israel, deep cleansing, new heart and spirit, and inspired Torah-observance.

In this "Lama (Hebrew for 'Why?') Talk With Izzy", Izzy explains why we finish our gatherings with the singing of the Birkat Cohanim, the Priestly Blessing from Numbers 6.

Teaching on Exodus 35-40 and Mark 16 from a Messianic Jewish Perspective. Sitting Shiva for the Master. Messianic halacha of immersion in water, baptism. Signs of the covenant including circumcision/milah, unleavened bread/matzot, redemption of firstborn/pidyon haben, Shabbat/Sabbath, and tefillin/phylacteries. Being moved by a willing heart. Leaders who cut loose, wildmen who are wild, and men who are uncontrollable. Heart of nobility. Yeshua adds to and builds his ekklesia. Mishkan as picture of union of body of Mashiach. Unity is a mitzvah. Resurrection of the tabernacle. Yeshua as artist, workman, carpenter. Meaning of Hebrew names Bezalel and Oholiab. Do what's in your heart to do. Curtains picture of healthy sisterhood. Frequently repeated phrase as Yahweh commanded Moshe. Messianic Judaism rising up in spirit of Elijah. Understanding the anointing on Aaron and sons. International Woman's Day. Understanding the essence of femininity. Don't light fires on Shabbat and irony of Messianic practice.

In this "Lama (Hebrew for 'Why?') Talk With Izzy", Izzy tells a humorous story about show and tell at school featuring a Catholic rosary, a Muslim prayer mat, and a Messianic crockpot and explains why we do oneg (potluck-fellowship luncheon) after services. Joy of eating together. Original Baptist jokes about crockpots. Calling Shabbat a delight and not a day for vegging out. Yom Kippur as test.

Teaching on Leviticus 1-5 and Luke 1-3 from a Messianic Jewish Perspective. Ben Adam, Bar Enosh, Son of Man. Temple Service in Leviticus and Luke. Cohen ha Mashiach, the Messianic Priest. Collective mitzvot. Tzaddik attitude. Jewish context of Gospel of Luke. Jacob and David. Yeshua named on eight day, Jewish tradition. Joy and brit milah. Keren yeshuah in fourteenth blessing of Amidah. Greatest enemy of Israel not Romans, Nazis, Hamas, or Hizbullah. Ultimate enemies are sin and death. Christ the Lord as Aramaic Maryah Meshicha in Peshitta. Stones and sons as Hebrew wordplay in avanim and banim. Stereotype of Leviticus as boring. Vayikra central to Torah and heart of divine revelation. Why does book begin with and. Leviticus as heartcry of Elohim. Word to Gentiles from Shaul. Diminished Aleph represents Yeshua as concealed anointed Cohen. Universality of Torah and message of Leviticus. All humanity invited to worship, and the house of prayer for all peoples. Karav and korban. Drawing near and relational intimacy as heart of temple service. Olah and aliyah as living sacrifice. Fire of the Holy Spirit and Cross in etzim and esh. Fragrance in offerings and Apostolic Epistles. Understanding nefesh. Bikkurim and aviv. Zevach shlamim and shalom. Inner element of Torah. Liver picture of the glory filtering out toxins, poisons, dangerous elements. Adat and kahal. Shag, Avishag, Meshuga. Leader and group sin. Yesod. Understanding forgiveness in the original Hebrew. Am ha aretz. Witnesses must speak out.