1. Chag Haurim Sameach (Happy Festival of Lights)!
2. Kislev is the month of Dreams
3. The very First Torah Dream
4. How are Dreams different from Visions?
5. Joseph the Dreamer
6. Kislev is a time of Awakening
7. Kislev is a time to discover and rely upon the Salvation of Adonai
8. There are eight references to Kislev in the Tanakh
9. Kislev Lesson #1: The Signet Ring of the Eternal One

Chag Haurim Sameach (Happy Festival of Lights)!

Chanukkah (Hanukkah) 2023 began the evening of Thursday, December 7 and ended the evening of Friday, December 15.

The 70th day after the first day of Sukkot (Tishri 15) is the first day of Chanukkah (Kislev 25). Both of these festival days are strongly related to the Messiah of Israel and of all the world. Tishri 15 is the day the Messiah was born, on the first day of Sukkot (ביום הראשון של חג הסוכות); and Kislev 25 is the day the Messiah Yeshua ben Yosef ben David was conceived in the womb of his mother, the Jewess Miryam bat David, on the first day of Chanukkah (ביום הראשון של חנוכה). Therefore the festival of Chanukkah is the Festival of Light (חג האורים) of *Avinu Shebashamayim. For M’shicho, His Messiah, is God’s “light to the world.”

*Our Father in heaven.

A period of 40 weeks exist from the time the Messiah of God was conceived in the womb of Miryam at the beginning of Chanukkah (Kislev 25) to the time he was born at the beginning of Sukkot (Tishri 15). Therefore, regarding his life it is written:

העם ההלכים בחשך ראו אור גדול ישבי בארץ צלמות אור נגה עליהם׃

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.”

הן עבדי אתמך־בו בחירי רצתה נפשי נתתי רוחי עליו משפט לגוים יוציא׃ אני ה’ קראתיך בצדק ואחזק בידך ואצרך ואתנך לברית עם לאור גוים׃ לפקח עינים עורות להוציא ממסגר אסיר מבית כלא ישבי חשך׃

“Behold, My servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. I am Adonai [the LORD, the unchanging Eternal One], I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”

ועתה ׀ אמר ה’ יצרי מבטן לעבד לו לשובב יעקב אליו וישראל [לא כ] (לו ק) יאסף ואכבד בעיני ה’ ואלהי היה עזי׃ ויאמר נקל מהיותך לי עבד להקים את־שבטי יעקב [ונצירי כ] (ונצורי ק) ישראל להשיב ונתתיך לאור גוים להיות ישועתי עד־קצה הארץ׃

“And now says Adonai (the LORD) who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of Adonai, And Elohi is My strength), He says, ‘It is too small a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make you a light of the Gentiles so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.'”

Kislev is the Month of Dreams:

Kislev is called the “month of dreams.” The four weekly Torah portions (scripture readings) for this month contain more dreams than any other. In the ninth month of the Jewish calendar nine of the ten dreams found in the Torah appear in the four Torah portions of Vayetzei, Vayeshev, and Miketz. The nine dreams plus the first dream of King Abimelech that is included here that are meditated on in the month of Kislev and Chanukkah are:

Dream #1: King Abimelech’s dream (Genesis 20:3-7).
Dream #2: Jacob’s 1st Dream (Genesis 28:10-17).
Dream #3: Jacob’s 2nd Dream (Genesis 31:1-13).
Dream #4: Laban’s Dream and Jacob’s interpretation (Genesis 31:29, 42).
Dream #5: Joseph’s 1st Dream (Genesis 37:5-8).
Dream #6: Joseph’s 2nd Dream (Genesis 37:9-11).
Dream #7: Joseph’s interpretation of the Chief Cupbearer’s Dream (Genesis 40:9-15, 20-23).
Dream #8: Joseph’s interpretation of the Chief Baker’s Dream (Genesis 40:16-23).
Dream #9: Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s 1st Dream (Genesis 41:1-4, 14-36).
Dream #10: Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s 2nd Dream (Genesis 41:5-7, 14-36).

The very First Torah Dream:

Without the first dream given by God to a gentile ruler no other dreams of our Jewish fathers Ya’akov (יעקוב) and Yosef (יוסף) would exist. Dream #1 is required for dreams #2 through #10 to exist. For if at our Jewish beginning mother Sarah and father Avraham had not been protected and preserved alive by Adonai (the LORD) then there would be no nation and people of Israel; and no Jewish redeemer and savior of the world!

How are Dreams different from Visions?

Dreams are a horizon to horizon view of what is going on in the spiritual realm.

Dreams are a larger scale of revelation than visions. This is why God says to His servant Joel:

“Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”

Only the mature (זָקֵן, old, elder) discern the deep things that Adonai has revealed to us in dreams. The young men can see a vista of the overall revelation. But no more. When we become spiritually aged, however, we can see the panorama. We can see an unbroken horizon-to-horizon view of the entire region.

Mysteriously the first dream in Genesis that comes before all of the other dreams was given to a gentile King Abimelech (Master King; Father of king(s). It involves an incredible incident that occurred between King Avimelekh (מלך-אבימלך), our mother Sarah (שרה), and our father Avraham (אברהם). Our father Avraham is the father of many nations, for he is the father of all who live by faith (cf. parashat Vayera, Genesis 18:1–22:24).

Joseph the Dreamer:

In the Torah, the primary figure connected with dreams is Jacob’s son Joseph, who was nicknamed by his brothers as “that dreamer” and who was later named “Decipherer of Secrets” (Tzofnat Paneach) by Pharaoh (Genesis 41:45). Therefore, it is written:

“Joseph dreamed a dream.”

ויחלם יוסף חלום ויגד לאחיו ויוספו עוד שנא אתו׃ ויאמר אליהם שמעו־נא החלום הזה אשר חלמתי׃ והנה אנחנו מאלמים אלמים בתוך השדה והנה קמה אלמתי וגם־נצבה והנה תסבינה אלמתיכם ותשתחוין לאלמתי׃

וַיַּחֲלֹם יֹוסֵף חֲלֹום וַיַּגֵּד לְאֶחָיו וַיֹּוסִפוּ עֹוד שְׂנֹא אֹתֹֽו׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם שִׁמְעוּ־נָא הַחֲלֹום הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר חָלָֽמְתִּי׃ וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ מְאַלְּמִים אֲלֻמִּים בְּתֹוךְ הַשָּׂדֶה וְהִנֵּה קָמָה אֲלֻמָּתִי וְגַם־נִצָּבָה וְהִנֵּה תְסֻבֶּינָה אֲלֻמֹּתֵיכֶם וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶיןָ לַאֲלֻמָּתִֽי׃

“And Yosef dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.” (Genesis 37:5-7).

In over a hundred ways Yosef (Joseph) prophetically (supernaturally) represents the Messiah Yeshua. The Messiah ben Yosef is the Beloved Son of Israel who for the ultimate purpose of universally saving (redeeming) and delivering his people (family) of Israel—and all of the peoples and families of the world—he has been (temporarily) disguised as being an Egyptian ruler (i.e. the disguise of being the Messiah of the Gentiles and not of the Yehudim).

Like father Yosef, the Messiah ben Yosef was at the first rejected and treated hatefully by his Jewish brothers. However, after he saved all Israel Yosef was fully accepted and greatly beloved by all of his brothers. Therefore, like Yosef our Suffering Messiah ben Yosef (ben David) will one day (soon) be reconciled to his elect family of Israel when he is (gloriously) revealed by God to be His promised Deliverer and rightful ruler over Israel and all of the nations, peoples and families of the world..

This Jewish year 5784 we begin celebrating the eight-day festival of Chanukkah in the evening of Thursday, December 7 and ends the evening of Friday, December 15 – To view Halachic Times click here to set your location.

Chanukkah Menorah #1 Candle   (24th of Kislev, 5784) – light evening of December 7, 2023.
Chanukkah Menorah #2 Candles (25th of Kislev, 5784) – light evening of December 8, 2023.
Chanukkah Menorah #3 Candles (26th of Kislev, 5784) – light evening of December 9, 2023.
Chanukkah Menorah #4 Candles (27th of Kislev, 5784) – light evening of December 10, 2023.
Chanukkah Menorah #5 Candles (28th of Kislev, 5784) – light evening of December 11, 2023.
Chanukkah Menorah #6 Candles (29th of Kislev, 5784) – light evening of December 12, 2023.
Chanukkah Menorah #7 Candles (30th of Kislev, 5784) – light evening of December 13, 2022.
Chanukkah Menorah #8 Candles (1st of Tevet, 5784)  – light evening of December 14, 2023.

Kislev is a time of Awakening:

The name Kislev (כִּסְלֵו) means, “His Confidence.” Originally the confidence in view was a naturalistic one. The name refers to the seed (זרעים/זרע-i.e. Seed/seeds) that had just been planted into the well watered, cultivated, fertile, “furrowed soil” of the land of Israel. This process of earthly cultivation-sowing and heavenly watering of the seed was normally initiated in the bitter month of the darkness and decay of the eighth month (חשוון-Cheshvan, and מרחשון-Marcheshvan), and finished in the ninth month of the Jewish calendar.

The Kislev goal was to have the whole process of planting the crops finished before the time of the winter solstice which marked the end of shorter days and longer nights and the beginning  of longer days and shorter nights (i.e. get the planting done before the time of increased exposure to sunlight—heavenly life-giving emanation and illumination—that catalyzes the growth and productivity of the fruit trees and the grain plants). This procreative time (post winter solstice) officially begins in the ninth (Kislev) and tenth (Tevet) months of the Jewish Calendar (ha’luach ha’ivri) when the awakening of the Almond Tree blossoms occurs.

This awakening of the Almond Tree signals the beginning of the agricultural growth process that causes the harvests of the spring, summer, and fall when an abundance of grains, nuts, fruits (etc.) are produced.

Prophetically the confidence in view here is a spiritual confidence that through the Seed/seeds of Abraham the Messiah (zera Elohim) will come to earth and restore the Presence of Adonai (the Indwelling Presence of the Spirit of Holiness) in the cultivated fertile soil of our own hearts, souls, bodies, and minds. This in turn will lead to a harvest of souls (Jew and converted Gentile) who as one nation and one people (Israel and the Commonwealth of Israel) will internationally triumph over evil and thereby bring about a great harvest of the fruit of Adonai (the fruit of His light)—-His goodness, righteousness, and truth (growing in abundance in the world).

Kislev is a time to discover and rely upon the Salvation of Adonai:

In the month of Kislev, therefore, we are exercising sincere faith in Adonai’s ability to establish His liberating kingdom rule (the Rule of Elohim; i.e. Israel) both in the throne room of our collective and individual spirits, souls, and minds and out in the physical world at large. In our faith we are looking for the “help” and the “aid” of the Holy One. The help we are expectantly looking for is the Salvation of Adonai (the LORD). The ordinal nine speaks of this:

The meaning of the Ninth Month #1.  The ordinal nine in Hebew is is “tesha” (תֵשַׁע).

The meaning of the Ninth Month #2.  The root word for the number nine is sha’ah meaning “to look,” “to gaze,” “to regard,” “to behold” (שָׁעָה).

The meaning of the Ninth Month #3.  In Isaiah 17:7, 8 and 31:1 sha’ah refers to “look for aid” and in 2 Samuel 22:42 the term means to look around for help. The help and aid we are looking for is the Salvation of Adonai (HaShem). We are looking for the light of the Salvation of HaShem (the NAME) to appear on earth in human form (the Messiah) so that Jew and Gentile alike might be completely set free from the bondage of the evil one’s current oppressive, evil, wicked rule:  For we know that at present the whole world is under the control of the evil one. But we also know that this is what overcomes the rule of the evil one: our faith in the Salvation of HaShem!

There are Ten references to Kislev in the Tanakh and the Brit HaChadashah:

The first day of the eight day celebration of Chanukkah (Kislev 25-Tevet 2) occurs on the seventieth day after the first day of the eight day celebration of Sukkot. In the Tanakh there are eight direct references to the month of Kislev by its name (two times) and number (six times). One passage alone refers to the month twice by both its name and number (Zechariah 7:1). In addition to the eight references to Kislev in the Tanakh, there are two references to the “ninth month” in the four Jewish Gospels of the HaBrit HaChadashah.

These ten prophetic passages and their meanings are as follows:

Prophetically all ten of these direct references to Kislev convey meanings that mark the time of the conception of the Messiah and as well the time of the re-conception of our nation and people of Israel.

Kislev Scripture Lesson #1: The Signet Ring of the Eternal One:

ויהי דבר־ה’ שנית אל־חגי בעשרים וארבעה לחדש לאמר׃ אמר אל־זרבבל פחת־יהודה לאמר אני מרעיש את־השמים ואת־הארץ׃ והפכתי כסא ממלכות והשמדתי חזק ממלכות הגוים והפכתי מרכבה ורכביה וירדו סוסים ורכביהם איש בחרב אחיו׃ ביום ההוא נאם־ה’ צבאות אקחך זרבבל בן־שאלתיאל עבדי נאם־ה’ ושמתיך כחותם כי־בך בחרתי נאם ה’ צבאות׃

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה’ שֵׁנִית אֶל־חַגַּי בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ לֵאמֹֽר׃ אֱמֹר אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶל פַּֽחַת־יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר אֲנִי מַרְעִישׁ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ וְהָֽפַכְתִּי כִּסֵּא מַמְלָכֹות וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּי חֹזֶק מַמְלְכֹות הַגֹּויִם וְהָפַכְתִּי מֶרְכָּבָה וְרֹכְבֶיהָ וְיָרְדוּ סוּסִים וְרֹכְבֵיהֶם אִישׁ בְּחֶרֶב אָחִֽיו׃ בַּיֹּום הַהוּא נְאֻם־ה’ צְבָאֹות אֶקָּחֲךָ זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל עַבְדִּי נְאֻם־ה’ וְשַׂמְתִּיךָ כַּֽחֹותָם כִּֽי־בְךָ בָחַרְתִּי נְאֻם ה’ צְבָאֹֽות׃

“Then the D’var Adonai (Word of GOD) came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month (כסלו 24, ערב חנוכה – Kislev 24, Chanukkah Eve), saying, ‘Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another. On that day,’ declares Adonai of Hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares Adonai, ‘and I will make you like a Signet Ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares Adonai of Hosts.” (Haggai 2:20-23).

Messiah in Chanukkah Chapter 2 >>