Rosh Hashana, the New Year, has already begun in Israel. In the United States, it will officially start at sunset tonight and end Friday at sunset. While a new year is typically a joyous occasion, yesterday, Israel went through the largest ballistic missile attack in history, and there are still 101 hostages being held by terrorists.
Today is a day to return to God and start fresh. It is the day we give an accounting for the last year, and God seals 5785 on Yom Kippur.
Eighty in Hebrew is all about using our words to bring freedom. The enemy also wants to snare us with our words, and he wants us to be silent.
In 2020 (5780), we saw our mouths being covered physically. The enemy has worked in this decade to bring division through words around the world. Last year, 5784 was about going through the door. The enemy had Israel fighting, and he snared them with their words (Prov. 6:2), and on October 7th, we saw the enemy take Israel into war and many people into captivity. Yet, even as the enemy worked, we have seen Israel unite for victory; Jews are praying, reciting Psalms, and lighting Shabbat candles. Truly, what satan meant for evil, God is turning it against him.
One of the inner meanings of the Hebrew letter Hey, which has the value of five, is deliverance, and we pray deliverance for the captives in Yeshua’s name. Praise and the hand of giving and receiving also jumped out at me for 5785.
When we think of praise, we typically think of singing, but in Hebrew, it also means pruning and cutting off. Through our praise and our words in general, we can cut off the work of the enemy.
Isaiah sixty-two declares, “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be idle.” This speaks of the power to help found in praise, the strength, power, and protection released when we use our voices on behalf of Israel.
In 2023, the Lord put it on my heart to do an Israel theme for Passover. Little did I know that this would spiritually prepare me and those at the table with me to stand after the atrocities of October 7th.
Looking back at the different things I walked through in 5784, a year of doors and gates, I had no idea that the most important door would be to follow the leading of the Lord to teach through the Torah Portion each week. We don’t always understand what God is doing at the moment, but we don’t have to; we just need to be obedient.
As we have read through the Scriptures this year, I pray that each of us has seen the amount of prophecy concerning Israel in the Torah and that as we read the Prophets, we saw the nations being drawn to the light of Israel and the Torah.
As we step into 5785, I want us to understand that the door of the Torah of last year prepares us for the deliverance through praise and giving of this year. When we praise, we speak forth the goodness of God and the promises of God. The last two portions of the year are Moses’s song of praise or poem and his blessing on the twelve tribes. Our thanking God opens the way for the blessing of God.
In 5785, ask what you want to be delivered from. Do you need deliverance from fear, anxiety, or addiction? Our deliverance is found in The Word of God. When we walk in freedom, we walk in the power of who we are created to be; we have fellowship with God and are able to walk in His ways unhindered.
The last thing I want to share about five in Hebrew is that it signifies the spiritual garments of thought, speech, and action. Speech connects us to the decade we are in (Pey – 80). Praise comes from overriding negative thoughts with positive ones and speaking them out of our mouths, which is an action, and when we give in joy, it draws us closer to God. The sacrifices we read about in our Torah study were about drawing near to God, and we will never defeat the enemy if we don’t draw near to God first. And deliverance is not just a “negative” of coming out of, but coming in to. Ask yourself what you want to come into this year. Last year, we went through doors; where do you want those spiritual doors to take you?
Believe for God’s best this year, even as we are holding up Israel in prayer as they have suffered the worst year in their history since the Holocaust; let us thank God that Iran’s attack yesterday failed; let’s thank God for the major takedowns in Hamas and Hezbollah infrastructure. As we align with Israel and the Jewish people and stand for righteousness in America, let us pray for God’s will and blessing concerning the November election, not only for the presidency but for national, state, and local leaders as well.
May God grant you a sweet and joyous 5785, and may all the hostages be rescued and the enemies of God and of Israel be brought down.
Resources
The Inner Meaning of the Hebrew Letters by Robert M. Haralick
To understand both the natural and spiritual significance of what has been taking place in Israel since October 7, 2023, I recommend reading One Jewish State by Ambassador David Friedman and The Dragon’s Prophecy by Jonathan Cahn
Giving
Support the Israel Defense Forces through Friends of the IDF
Support Israel’s Emergency Services through American Friends of Magen David Adom
Support Disaster Relief across America through Mercury One
Casey D. Bell 
Leave a comment