Simchat Torah - Rejoicing in the Law

Today was Simchat Torah - the day to celebrate & rejoice in the Law as the Torah cycle is completed for the year. Our Torah study is restarted this next Shabbat with the first few chapters of Genesis/ B'reisheet. Orthodox Jewish communities often parade their Torah scrolls & dance around them during this celebration. Beth Tephila has just bought a Torah scroll, but since a new cover is being made for it, the Torah scroll has not arrived yet from New York. We are told it is about 150 years old from Poland. Hopefully, we will learn more of its history when we receive it.

After Al's 10-day, post-op stay at our home, he returned to Sandpoint, Idaho & I drove to Spokane to pick up Esther at the airport. She had spent a week in Tampa, Florida visiting her birth Mom & extended family.

The Fall foliage along I-90 was gorgeous. This is Alberton Gorge after just passing the homes of Alberton spread along the highway for a couple miles.

I-90 was a bit wet from the rain & snow of the day before. This day was in the 60's & showed off God's creation. The tamaracks (American Larch) were at the height of their color, as were the Aspen, Cottonwoods & brush along the Clark Fork River.

Since I arrived in Spokane about 90 minutes before Esther's flight was to land, my good friend, Julie, took me to a great breakfast/lunch place in Spokane off the Maple St. exit. As you take the exit, you turn on to Walnut Street & drive about three blocks north & see "Frank's Diner" on the left before going over the river.

We were seated in this train dining car next to a fake window, through which a conductor manikin grinned at us throughout our meal. Once we started catching up on each other's lives, I was able to ignore him. Julie had Eggs Benedict & I had an Oriental Chicken Salad. Both were delicious & medium-priced. The service was excellent.

Esther arrived safely & we repeated the beautiful 3 1/2 hour drive over two passes. Missoula was just getting dusky when we turned off I-90 onto the Reserve Street exit.

Autumn in the Montana high country

This photo of the "Three Sisters" was snapped from Lost Horse Creek Road during one of the last Fall hikes. This area is southwest of Hamilton, MT & gorgeous. The Women's Retreat speaker that we had at the end of September, Nelda Thomas, died at her home this past Friday. She lived only three more weeks after her diagnosis of metastatic pancreatic cancer & teaching at our retreat the next two days after her diagnosis! I'm envious that she is now seeing Yeshua face to face. I keep looking up. So should you.

Hag Sameach Sukkot! (Happy Feast of Tabernacles!)

The eight day Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) started last evening at sunset. Jews build booths or "sukkah" for this feast, which remind them of the booths in which people dwelt in Sinai enroute to the land of Israel. These men are carrying the lulav (branch bundle) & etrog (citron, like our lemon) which recall the ceremonies at the first & second temples during the Feast of Tabernacles. They have their prayer shawls pulled up over their heads, so they were probably caught praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. I borrowed this photo from an Israeli e-mail site titled "The Lekarev Report".

Yom Kippur - Holiest Day of the Year

Today was Yom Kippur. It's the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Like most religious Jews, we fast on this day. As Messianic Jews, we believe that sometime in the future on Yom Kippur, the remnant of Israel will turn in repentance to accept Yeshua as its Messiah.

Karen, a Jewish woman who just retired from her legal secretary position, started attending Beth Tephila on Rosh HaShanah. She grew up in a religious Reformed Jewish home, but has attended nowhere for years. She asks many questions about our belief that Yeshua is the Messiah. Karen says that she doesn't believe that, but she likes our friendliness & acceptance of her at our services. She returned on Shabbat & then to the Yom Kippur service today...& plans to come back on this coming Saturday. Please pray that she will continue to be drawn to her Messiah through us.

L'Shana Tova! (Happy New Year - 5769th since creation)

L'Shana Tova! We are already six days into 5769 (years since creation according to rabbinic reckoning). Much has happened since my last posting:

. my 59th birthday & making several batches of apple cider

. more gorgeous Fall hikes - Lost Horse Canyon Overlook & Camas Lake

. defrosting our freezer so we could find our frozen food once more

. lambs taken to market

. Teaching the first three sessions of the neighborhood women's Bible Study - "A Woman's Heart- God's Dwelling Place" - with 12 attendees.

. The Hallelujah Hikers hostessing a Women's Retreat on Flathead Lake.

. Teaching 3 Puggles sessions at AWANA. Did you know a puggle is a baby platypus? The 2 & 3 year olds in AWANAs are also termed "puggles". They are so fun to teach - about creation at the moment.

. More harvesting of garden produce & pears and processing/canning of these.

. Picking up a Fall cold virus.

. Rosh HaShanah & Tashlikh services kicking off the Biblical High Holy Days.

. Hosting some of the Tucker clan for a week as their wife/Mom/Ruth was dying up the hill from us. What a privilege!

Ruth went home on Rosh HaShanah. Her memorial service was yesterday after our normal

Shabbat service.