Do you know what pa'ot are? It's the Hebrew word for corners. Today, pa'ot - pronounced PAY-ote - usually refer to the long sidelocks sported by Orthodox Jews in accordance with one interpretation of the Torah to not cut the 'corners' of the head.
But in the Torah you'll see the word pa'ot used more frequently in reference to the 'corners' of a field. God said to leave the pa'ot unharvested for the poor to eat.
I think there's a principle here that can be applied in many realms of life, including the ministry of Holy Language Institute. Here's how we apply the pa'ot principle.
Have you ever seen the trailers we put out for our Hebrew Chapters episodes? You know how long most movie trailers are - two or three minutes tops. But ours are, like, ten minutes long! When the full episode is usually only thirty to sixty minutes long! Have you ever wondered why I put out such long trailers? Now you know. It's my way of leaving the pa'ot of the field for those who can't afford to subscribe for $20 a month.
Same with our YouTube channel. We have the full lessons of, like, the first half of Hebrew Quest up there, for free. If we were a business, that would be dumb. Lots of people - literally, thousands - just watch them there instead of subscribing and helping us cover our costs. But we're a ministry, and we're dedicated to leaving huge pa'ot so everyone possible can be encouraged in their own journey following Yeshua and learning Hebrew. So we give.
There are other ways we leave pa'ot, too. I just wanted to give you this little snapshot because if you're reading this, you're probably part of the Holy Language tribe, you're part of this ministry, and you deserve to know what you're helping accomplish.
How about you, how do you apply the pa'ot principle in your own life? I'd love to hear about it. Email me at contact@holylanguage.com.
Maria's Story
Maria is a member of the Holy Language tribe, following Yeshua and learning Hebrew! Here's her story.
I came to know some Hebrew words through a messianic group called Jews for Jesus. I receive a newsletter from them and years ago I bought a CD of messianic music. I heard the words Y'shua Hamashiach for the first time and I fell in love with Hebrew.
Another reason I desire to learn is this: l was born in Argentina, in the province of Mendoza, in the middle west of Argentina. My mom was adopted by an Italian lady. She was told her biological family was Jewish, but we never knew anything about them. Anyway, my mom taught us respect and love towards Jewish people and I wonder whether I could have Jewish blood. If it comes true, it would make me very proud and happy. At the moment I can't afford a DNA test to find out. Whatever the case, we share the Beautiful Mashiach.
The reasons why I want to learn Hebrew are as follows: I love the language, the pronunciation, I mean every time you hear a word there is something special. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes, but my first language is Spanish.
You have a story too, and the tribe would love to hear it! Share here?
holy language LIVE!
Join Holy Language teacher Rabbi Derek Leman right here for his next live class studying through the book of Ruth this Thursday at 8EST/5PST! Learn advanced grammar, interact with traditional Jewish commentary and thought, take away practical applications, and live chat with the other students.
Join Holy Language teacher and Messianic Israeli Elihana Elia right here for her next live modern Hebrew class this Monday night at 9EST/6PST! Learn conversational Hebrew, experience Israeli culture, hear firsthand news from the land, and live chat with the other students.
hebrew chapters
The newest episodes of Hebrew Chapters are out! Wil you read Genesis 8 and Matthew 5 in Hebrew with me?
Watch the trailers here http://youtu.be/CLTCWyvHKV8 and here http://youtu.be/KeWJNuGvA9k or at the bottom of this email.
Or - even better! - join the Holy Language tribe and watch the full versions right here here.
meme of the week
Hats off to Robert Williams and Melek Design for this meme! Make your own Hebrew meme here or here and send it to meme@holylanguage.com, and we'll share yours too! :D
broader vision
I hope this news lineup gets you thinking and gives you a broader vision of the kingdom of God and what's going on in this world.
P.S. I'm here for you and I would love to hear from you. But this email is unmonitored - so instead of replying to it, please contact me here. Thanks so much!
