Ari Bussel is a frequent contributor to this blog. I have
never met Ari in person, even so he has been a special Internet friend to me.
Ari is Jewish and I am Christian and he is fully aware of my religious
affiliation. In saying all this, Ari sent an Easter message to me as one of his
list he addressed as “friends”.
Yeah, I know, it’s April 3 and a bit late for an Easter
message. Christians should always keep the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the
call for eternal Salvation for arising bodily leaving the tomb empty. AND
Christians must realize this Salvation is of the Jews and respect the Chosen
People knowing God’s plan still interwoven with all Jewish people even if
Christian and Jews have no clear understanding of this intersecting path.
Without further ado, here is Ari Easter message sent on
Easter Day 2018.
JRH 4/3/18
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An Easter Message to Our Christian Friends
By Ari Bussel
Sent 4/1/2018 5:20 PM
Dear Friends,
The Story of Easter originates with Passover, and the Story of
Passover can be found in the Bible (the Book of Exodus).
Read it, for not only is it interesting, it was true in
ancient times and it is happening in these very times, at present, as
well.
As you celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, we remember
Jesus, a descendant of King David, was a Jewish Rabbi.
We further remember that King David’s great grandmother was
Ruth, a Gentile (non-Jewish) Moabite woman [Let us read the Scroll of Ruth, for
there are many lessons there too, values that should be emulated yet are so
uncommon today.]
Jesus of Nazareth taught at a synagogue along the
northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee, and the remains of this synagogue
can be visited till today.
Jesus celebrated Passover, in exactly the same manner that
all Jewish people celebrate it to this very day and the Seder - the opening
meal of the seven-day festival - is what has become known as The Last Supper.
One without the other cannot exist for they are
intertwined, they are one Judaism and Christianity celebrating and worshipping one and
the very same God the Almighty, Lord of Hosts.
It is our God who brought us from slavery to freedom and
from that time forward we are commanded to tell our children and they to their
children of this Deliverance with a strong hand “and he who tells
more of the story of the deliverance from Egypt, it is praiseworthy.”
Crucifixion
Crucifixion was a usual form of punishment-by-death by the
Romans. Below is the only archeological remain of an actual crucifixion
(iron nail in the heel bone) of a Jewish person [Yehochanan son of Hagkol] in
the first century A.D. Displayed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Israel.
1st century AD
Crucifixion iron nail in the heel bone of Jewish victim Yehochanan son of
Hagkol
Museum Display of Crucifixion
Nail
The Story of Passover
After 430 years in Egypt, God delivers the Israelites from
slavery in Egypt to freedom.
“And it came to pass at midnight” (Exodus 12:29), that the
Tenth Plague was inflicted upon the Egyptians, from the first born of Pharaoh
who sat on the throne, unto the first born of the captive that was in the
dungeon; and all the first born of the livestock in the field. Only the
first borns of the Israelites, who marked their houses with the blood of a year
old male sheep or goat that afternoon, were spared.
The Passover Haggadah [Reference
link is by the Editor thus the text may differ a bit from Ari’s below] (narrative
booklet) explains the following verse, to emphasize it was God Himself who was
present, He and not an angel:
“And the Lord brought us forth
from Egypt with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great
terror, and with signs and wonders.”
“And the Lord brought us forth
from Egypt” - not by a ministering angel, not by a fiery angel, and not by a
messenger, but by Himself, in His glory, did the Holy One, blessed be He, do
so, as it is written: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt on that
night, and I will smite all the first born in the land of Egypt, both man and
beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgement. I am
the Lord.”
“And I will pass through the
land of Egypt on that night” - I, and not a ministering angel; “and I will
smite all the first born in the land of Egypt” - I, and not a fiery angel; “and
against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment” - I and not a messenger;
“I am the Lord” - It is I, and no other.
It is this momentous event that has become a memorial for
eternity, and we are celebrating it as a feast to the Lord for all generations.
Passover is celebrated for seven days, of which the first and the last
are holy-days, no manner of work shall be done in them. It starts in the
middle of the first month of the Hebrew calendar in Biblical times (the month
of Nissan), which is also the month that Spring arrives.
Knowing that future generations will be curious or even
skeptical about observing the holiday, the Torah tells us (ibid:26):
כו וְהָיָה,
כִּי-יֹאמְרוּ אֲלֵיכֶם בְּנֵיכֶם: מָה הָעֲבֹדָה הַזֹּאת,
לָכֶם.
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26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you:
What mean ye by this service?
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כז וַאֲמַרְתֶּם זֶבַח-פֶּסַח הוּא לַיהוָה, אֲשֶׁר פָּסַח עַל-בָּתֵּי בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם, בְּנָגְפּוֹ אֶת-מִצְרַיִם, וְאֶת-בָּתֵּינוּ הִצִּיל; וַיִּקֹּד הָעָם, וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ.
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27 that ye shall say: It is the sacrifice of the
LORD'S passover, for that He passed over the houses of the children of Israel
in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.' And the
people bowed the head and worshipped.
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Why? For it is “in this very day, that God has bought
the Israelites from the land of Egypt.”
Except the Egyptians quickly recuperated from the loss of
their first borns and set out to pursue the Israelites. The Pharaoh,
leading the strongest military of the time soon caught up with the Israelites
who were standing in front of the Red Sea, trapped between the chaser and the
impenetrable sea.
What is about to happen is utterly miraculous, as the God
obliterates the entire Egyptian army. The entire army drowns, not a
single person survived.
יט וַיִּסַּע מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים, הַהֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵי מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַיֵּלֶךְ, מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם; וַיִּסַּע עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן, מִפְּנֵיהֶם, וַיַּעֲמֹד, מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם.
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19 And the angel of God, who went before the camp
of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud removed from
before them, and stood behind them;
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כ וַיָּבֹא בֵּין מַחֲנֵה מִצְרַיִם, וּבֵין מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַיְהִי הֶעָנָן וְהַחֹשֶׁךְ, וַיָּאֶר אֶת-הַלָּיְלָה; וְלֹא-קָרַב זֶה אֶל-זֶה, כָּל-הַלָּיְלָה.
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20 and it came between the camp of
Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness here,
yet gave it light by night there; and the one came not near the other all the
night.
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כא וַיֵּט מֹשֶׁה אֶת-יָדוֹ, עַל-הַיָּם, וַיּוֹלֶךְ יְהוָה אֶת-הַיָּם בְּרוּחַ קָדִים עַזָּה כָּל-הַלַּיְלָה, וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת-הַיָּם לֶחָרָבָה; וַיִּבָּקְעוּ, הַמָּיִם.
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21 And Moses stretched out his hand
over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind
all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
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כב וַיָּבֹאוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם, בַּיַּבָּשָׁה; וְהַמַּיִם לָהֶם חוֹמָה, מִימִינָם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָם.
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22 And the children of Israel went
into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall
unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
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Moses, the leader of the Israelites, and his people then
sang the following to God (ibid, 15:11, 18):
יא מִי-כָמֹכָה בָּאֵלִם יְהוָה, {ס} מִי {ר} כָּמֹכָה נֶאְדָּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ; {ס} נוֹרָא תְהִלֹּת, עֹשֵׂה {ר} פֶלֶא. {ס}
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11 Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the
mighty? who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises,
doing wonders?
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יח יְהוָה יִמְלֹךְ, לְעֹלָם וָעֶד. {ס}
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18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
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Forty more years will be required until the Israelites will
reach the promised land. It was not the physical distance, rather the
time required for an entire generation to pass.
Jesus in Israel
And here, in Israel, many years later, a Jewish Rabbi, Jesus
of Nazareth, a descendant of King David, himself the great-grandson of Ruth,
was celebrating Passover. That Seder night, of Jesus and the 12 apostles,
is what we know as the Last Supper. Followed was the betrayal, arrest, Crucifixion
and Resurrection.
In Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, one can retrace each and
every one of these steps. And throughout the Land of Israel, one can walk
in the footsteps of Jesus.
Overlooking the Sea of Galilee:
Overlooking the Sea of
Galilee - Jesus & Apostles Sculpture
Overlooking the Sea of
Galilee - Jesus & Apostles Sculpture Close-up
Now, let us get closer to the water:
closer to the water
We can actually touch the water, immerse ourselves in it,
walk on water:
actually touch the water
And this is me several years ago standing in the very same
synagogue where Jesus of Nazareth taught some two millennia earlier, wishing
you in 2018 a Happy and Meaningful Easter!
Ari Bussel standing in same
synagogue where Jesus of Nazareth taught
Always,
________________________
Minor editing by John R. Houk
Any text embraced by bold
brackets are by the Editor.
Ari Bussel is Vice President
of Operations at Saybrex International, a privately held family business
specializing in the distribution of fine wines and spirits. He is responsible
for the day-to-day operations of the company and has held various positions in
the company since 1993.
Prior to joining Saybrex, Mr.
Bussel served as First Lieutenant in the Center for Systems Analysis at General
Headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces, where he led the implementation of
the Logistics War Doctrine in the Computerized Wargame Program.
Mr. Bussel is involved in a
variety of philanthropic and civic activities. Mr. Bussel completed the Team
Beverly Hills Leadership Program and served on the Environmental Sustainability
Topic Committee of the City of Beverly Hills. He was a member of the Steering
Committees of former Beverly Hills Mayor MeraLee Goldman and the current Beverly
Hills City Treasurer, the Hon. Eliot Finkel. Mr. Bussel also completed and participated
in the Community Emergency Response Training Program of the City of Beverly
Hills as well as the Crisis Response Team of the Maple Counseling Center.
Mr. Bussel was among the
founding members and served on the boards of Gen. Shimon Erem’s Israel
Christian Nexus, the Western Region of Friends of Israel Firefighters and the
Israel Institute for Alternative Energy Advancement. He completed the Salvin Leadership
Program of the Anti-Defamation League.
Mr. Bussel writes regularly.
For the past decade, his weekly columns appeared in print in Israel Jewish
Life, Shalom LA, Muslim World Today and Israeli Week. Mr. Bussel’s articles
appear on numerous websites, including Canada Free Press, Free Republic, NewsBlaze,
SlantRight and OpEdNews. He is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club.
Mr. Bussel received a Master
of Science in Operations Research from Stanford University and Bachelor’s
degrees from UCLA in Applied Mathematics and in Economics with a specialization
in Computing.
Mr. Bussel was an avid runner
who completed the 2005 and 2006 Los Angeles Marathon.
Mr. Bussel divides his time
between Israel and the United States, writing about the social, political,
military and foreign policy fabrics of the two countries. Mr. Bussel is a
member of the foreign press corps in Israel. Since 2008, Mr. Bussel has
cooperated with award winning investigative journalist and author in a series
of essays “Postcards from America – Postcards from Israel,” and since 2011 in a
series of radio broadcasts “Conversations Eye to Eye.”
