For the Feast of Trumpets:
In this charming story of neighborhood community, Zoe and her friends learn about God’s unmerited grace and call for obedience through the Feast of Trumpets … we too receive an invitation not only to enter into the rich texture of the Jewish holidays, but to include our friends and family in our own traditions and celebrations. May we, like Zhava and her family, open our doors and our lives to our neighbors and those with whom God has caused our paths to cross.
For Day of Atonement:
In this beautiful story of Zoe and her friends, Rene Wallace wonderfully unpacks the way in which the death of Christ is given meaning against the backdrop of the Day of Atonement, a solemn day of prayer and fasting observed by Jews all around the world. Closely connected are the themes we see at Passover where Israel is saved by the blood of a lamb. Indeed, as God declares to the people of Israel, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).
For the Feast of Booths:
As Zoe and her friends enter into the richness of Sukkot, we are also reminded of the Jewish virtue of hachnasat orchim, the welcoming of guests, a special touchstone of this particular holiday. In opening our lives to those around us, we acknowledge that the living water that has been poured into us is meant to be poured out into others. May we, like Zhava and her family, enact this kind of hospitality and in so doing become a link in the chain of Jewish tradition.
Dr. Jennifer M. Rosner, Messianic Jewish author & professor
www.jenrosner.com
This little book “Zoe Discovers the Feast of Weeks at Pentecost” seeks to rebuild a bridge of understanding and appreciation between these two important faith groups. I use the word “ironically” because historians know that Christianity started as a “Jewish sect” that ultimately expanded to be inclusive of the non-Jewish believers.
It is a long and tragic story of how the faith in a Jewish Messiah sought to divorce itself from its own Jewish roots. I am happy to report that in recent decades many members from both communities are having a fresh awareness of the Jewishness of the New Testament.
This can only help both communities as they come to a renewed understanding and appreciation of each other. This book does a great job of making that connection for Christians to appreciate their Jewish roots and for the Jewish community to take a new look at the Jewish Yeshua/Jesus. I believe it will help to consider these truths through the eyes of children as this book so beautifully does.
Rabbi Barney Kasdan, Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue, San Diego, California
Written for children, yet with useful instructions for young and old. The illustrations give the reader a joyful contemporary connection to traditions that are thousands of years old.
Terri Gillespie, award-winning author of Making Eye Contact with God and the Hair Mavens series
In fact, I believed in Replacement Theology. That simply means that the church has replaced Israel in the plan of God and all of his promises to them are now null and void. So as much as I enjoyed reading and teaching the Old Testament, I simply crossed off the word Israel and replaced it with “Christians.”
As a result, when I read verses like Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you,” I thought it meant God would bless people who blessed me!
It never occurred to me that I might actually be robbing myself of a blessing by not blessing Israel. And I definitely didn’t realize that I was robbing my children of a blessing, by failing to instill in them a love for God’s chosen people.
That’s why I’m so thankful to Rene Wallace and others who have opened my eyes and invited me to enter the blessings God has reserved for those who love and bless the Jewish people. Two years ago, when I was first challenged about this blind spot, I immediately donated to two ministries: one that plants trees in Israel and another Israel-based ministry that sent me a prayer shawl. Within a year of blessing Israel, God opened a totally unexpected door for me to pursue a Master’s Degree in Jerusalem…with a scholarship covering 75% of the tuition.
I don’t know what blessings God has in store for your children as you teach them to love His chosen people and to understand more of the Jewish roots of their faith. But I know it will be above and beyond anything you could ask or imagine.
That’s why I’m so excited about this beautiful resource from Rene Wallace. It’s a fun and simple way to introduce the children you love to the people God loves. As they enjoy reading the story, over and over again, they’ll gain a deep appreciation for the beliefs and practices of the people who fill the pages of the Bible. Their faith will be strengthened as they see that, all along, the Father was pointing his children to his Son who was to come.
May this children’s book become a treasured possession in your family for generations to come. And may those generations enter the blessings God has prepared in advance for them to enter into.
Blessings, Donna Partow Author, Becoming the Woman God Wants Me To Be
The excellent illustrations guarantee Moms and Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas, will joyfully be reading this to wide-eyed little ones.
Rabbi Stuart Dauermann, PhD, Director, Interfaithfulness
Corry Keeler, Copy Editor for The Messianic Times and Messianic Jewish Recording Artist with Lev Shelo Ministries