Jesus celebrated the festivals...fasting and praying to God for forgiveness and a good year. The day comes to an end with the blowing of the shofar, which marks the conclusion of the fast. (see video below)
In the basket behind the candle, is the challah braided bread I made today (eggs, bread flour, yeast, honey)...traditionally, a blessing over two loaves of bread is symbolic of the double portion of manna God gave the Jewish people on Fridays in the desert after the exodus from Egypt.
In the clear dish is home-made egg noodle kugel (sour cream, cottage cheese, eggs, butter, cinnamon, pepper)...a mainstay of festive meals in Eastern European descent Jewish homes, particularly on holidays--some believe eating kugel brings special spiritual blessings.
On the left, in the white pyrex is Kharoset--chopped dates, raisins, pecans, red wine cooked down with sugar...it's symbolic of the mortar Israelites made for their Egyptian taskmaster during their period of enslavement in Egypt. To the Messianic Jew, this reminds us that even the worst of circumstances can be sweetened because the Messiah lives.
I'll also be serving cut apples with honey, grapes and orange portions...Hebraic blessings: "Blessed are you Lord, our God, Ruler of the world, Creator of the fruit of the tree.
May it be Your will, God, the God of our forefathers, that You renew for us a good and sweet year."
Also on the table, you see three dreidels (small wooden tops), representing the children's "turn around" game, usually played during Hannukah. Each dreidel has four [Hebrew] letters...meaning “a great miracle occurred there.”
Just beneath the candle is our olive-wood Mezuzah (a friend of my husband's brought back to him from Jerusalem several years ag
o)...“And you shall inscribe them on the doorposts of our house and on your gates”Deuteronomy 6:9, 11:20. “The words that I shall tell you this day: that you shall love your God, believe only in Him, keep His commandments, and pass all of this on to your children.”
God said,“Remake yourselves by repentance during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and on the Day of Atonement, I will hold you guiltless, regarding you as a newly made creature.”
