Newsletter 5862-004
The 3rd Year of the 5th Sabbatical Cycle
The 32nd year of the 120th Jubilee Cycle
The 1st day of the 2nd month, 5862 years after the creation of Adam
The 5th Sabbatical Cycle after the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of the Tithes to the Widows and Orphans
March 21, 2026
Shabbat Shalom to the Royal Family of Yehovah,
It is the 14th day of Counting the Omer.
Wednesday, March 11, was our Last Day of Unleavened Bread. Yes, we kept Passover on March 5 and demonstrated that the Barley was Aviv in multiple places around Israel, as testified by 14 witnesses. We did the barley ceremony Saturday evening at Check Point Charlie in the field of aviv and shattering barley.
From the emails I am getting, many of you are completely ignorant or just don’t give a damn about the lives of those who came to search for the barley this year. You are about to get an earful. Keep reading.
This Sabbath will begin the second month, and if that surprises you, then you are dead asleep and are not being a watchman on the wall. WAKE UP. Again, keep reading!!!
I have a lot to say this week, and I am not holding back. For those of you who prayed and stood with us on this journey, thank you. Thank you from each of the 14 of us here that you held up before Yehovah and asked for his protection. Thank you all. It does mean a lot and speaks volumes about you and how you are part of this team effort.
The Stones Cry Out Part 1 & Part 2
The Stones Cry Out Part 1 & Part 2
Do you want to know how to prove the Zadok Calendar, the Enoch Calendar, and the Book of Jubilee Calendar false?
Do you want to know how the calendar issue became so confusing?
I got this awesome endorsement and I want to share it here now. with you.
In The Stones Cry Out, I walk you through the history of each change and why those changes came about, starting with the Maccabean days. Yes, it all began around 164 B.C. When Yehshua was here, he was dealing with two schools of thought. The Sadducees were all but wiped out when the Temple fell in 70 C.E. This left only the Pharisees, who began to be persecuted after the failure of the Bar Kochbah Revolt in 134 C.E.
The truth began to become out of focus around 160 C.E. when Rabbi Jose wrote the Seder Olam. This work originally was written to proof Simon Bar Kochbah was the Messiah. When that did not pan out the history was later revived and then redacted as the truth into the Mishneh Torah by Rabbi Judah ha Nasi in 180 C.E. After this the Jerusalem Talmud begins to debate these issues. It was then during this time as the Jerusalem Talmudist are forced to flee and the Babylonian Talmudist continue to grow until the 6th century that Hillel came up with a solution to help them keep the Holy Days at the proper time while they were out of the land of Israel. He did this in 358 C.E. This work was then modified and adjusted over the next 800 years with additions added and other rejected. Until it was finally redacted once again in 1177 by Rambam. And with that we now have the modern Hillel calendar which includes the errors passed on during each redaction. These errors included the time of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years.
Once the Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E., the Jews recorded time by counting from the time It was destroyed. This is why the 40 tombstones of Zoar, which record this information, are crucial to understand.
When you understand why the Postponement rules were first created so that the crescent moon would not be seen in another part of the world before it was seen in Israel then you can understand how they were still trying to follow the crescent moon to begin the month. The Tombstones show us this exact thing. The tombstones also show us when the Jews changed from a crescent moon to a Conjunction moon to begin the month. They also show us when the Jews changed the year from the month of Aviv to the Tishri to begin the year.
I really want you to understand these things so you know why you do what you do as far as following a calendar to keep Yehovah’s moedim.
Get your Free copies of The Stones Cry Out Part 1 and Part 2 here https://sightedmoon.com/the-stones-cry-out-lp/
And share this information with your FB friends and Bibles Study groups. If they don’t like it, it never cost them anything.
Get your copy today. If you want a paperback copy, I have them on Amazon for the least amount they would let me post them there. Order both of them and start to understand the history of how these changes affect those who follow Yehovah and keep His Feasts.
I would like to add this recent comment to encourage you all to get this book and learn these truths. And the Book is FREE. You have no reason not to get it.
Most people assume that Hillel created the calendar in 358 C.E. They then assume that because it was a Sanhedrin, they are not allowed to change in order to obey Yehovah. The Hillel calendar has been changed many times since 358 C.E. up until 1177 C.E. Few people talk about these changes but we do in our latest Book The Stones Cry Out Part 1 which is free on our website. The Hillel calendar was changed on many occasions and many sought to make other changes during this time. They never needed a Bet Din to approve those changes. They just did them. So this excuse that we do not have the right to obey Yehovah because the Bet Din has not approved it is a crock of crap.
You have the obligation to obey Yehovah. You have the duty to prove which calendar you are to go by. You must prove it beyond all doubt. Yehshua never followed the Hillel calendar. Nor did any of the Apostles.
The reason no man can know the day or the hour is because it refers to a crescent moon to begin the 7th month. That is the day He was born on and the day He comes to judge on. At a day and hour no one can know. Using the Hillel calendar predicts Yom Teruah years in advance so every one knows when to keep it. But even in the Hillel calendar they keep two days of Yom Teruah reckoning back to the sighted moon. Also in the postponement rules developed long after Hillel, they again state that if the conjunction is at a certain time then the day begins at such and such, in order that the moon will not be seen in another part of the world before it is seen in Israel. That was rule number 2.
Everyone has to choose. You have the right to be wrong. But if you choose to be wrong then you also must live with the consequences that come with sin. And that is the death penalty for not keeping the Holy Days, these Sabbath at the proper time. It is your choice.
Just because you write in to me to justify your position does mean it is right. It just means your sounding off.
Allow me to share this endorsement of our latest book again. If you have read our books, please share your thoughts about them with us in the comments below or email me.
And yes, many observe the Equinox. There are many who are deceived, improperly educated. And this is why Joe puts out a newsletter every week, why he writes books, why the SightedMoon Zoom Shabbat service started, why he travels to places like England and the Philippines to share this message and why were are going to the NRB in February. The calendar is always a divisive issue in social circles because the details are many, that’s why there are so many books Joe has written. I’m not looking to put Joe on a pedestal here. This is not about Joe worship. But Joe has tenaciously studied out the calendar from every angle, not to prove himself right, to to seek to find and share what Yehovah is telling us about His Calendar.
In The Stones Cry Out, Joe has shared the history of all the different groups within Israel, and the beliefs they had about the scriptures and the feast days and the calendar. When you line it all up, you can see for yourself the how and why these misunderstandings and arguments about how and where and why they came about.
This is my new favourite book and I’m only 60-70 pages in. And I encourage you to read the footnotes in this one. Sometimes there’s more footnote on the page than Joe’s words.
Sombra Wilson
When I wrote Stones Cry Out, I wanted it to be one of our FREE books so everyone would have it. It is more of an encyclopedia than a book to read. It will be your quick resource book; you will have access to every question about any calendar, how it got started, and who started it. You will also learn the history of how the Mishnah was assembled, when it was assembled and why. Then, you will learn how that information was transferred into both the Jerusalem and the Babylonian Talmud until it reached its final stage in the Mishneh Torah. Along with this progression, the calendar also progressed and changed long after 358 C.E. when Rabbi Hillel first published it. But…what was before the Hillel calendar? What does the Mishnah record about those things?
The Stones Cry Out was originally going to be one book explaining all the various proofs we have discovered, demonstrating when the Sabbatical and Jubilee years are throughout history.
You can know; it is not a mystery.
As I began to write The Stones Cry Out, I quickly found myself going back, time and time again, to explain how the calendar is behind the confusion of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The Rabbis, as they began to write the Mishnah, incorporated wrong understandings, and those errors were written into what became known as the Talmud and then the Mishneh Torah. The expulsion from the land and subsequent persecutions in trying to send out messengers to report the barley being found or the crescent moon being seen, proved to be more and more dangerous over time. All of these things took place over 14 centuries.
Then as I was working on The Stones Cry Out, I discovered that many people were now accepting the Zadok calendar as factual. This is when we pivoted to include all the details of the various calendars that have crept back into public knowledge today and are being used to mislead new people who are just starting to learn about the calendar. All of this was directly connected to the period starting with the Hasmonaeans, up to the destruction of the Temple. Then, with the compiling of the Mishnah, the studies that led into the writing of the Jerusalem Talmud, then the Babylonian Talmud and finally the Mishneh Torah, each error that was added is compounded over time.
The Stones Cry Out, Part 1 explains the history of how each compilation of the Oral Torah incorporated errors, leading the followers thereof away from the actual Torah. In understanding these facts, it is then possible to understand more readily how the Sabbatical and Jubilee years were then mixed and later changed. By explaining all this history, I will be able to help you the reader understand the tombstones when most authorities do not. They have assumed, to their error, the Hillel calendar to have always been in use since Mount Sinai. Not understanding the history of the calendars is why most authorities dismiss the tombstones as too confusing to use. Once you understand The Stones Cry Out Part 1, Part 2 will be very easy to grasp.
Daniel 7:25 tells us he will change the appointed seasons and commandments. Many assume Constantine did this when he made Sunday the Sabbath. Few have considered the calendar’s many changes and how they relate to us today. Hidden in this proverbial swamp of confusion is the truth about the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The Sabbatical and Jubilee years reveal the truths about the calendar that have been hidden for almost 2000 years.
We are in the very last days and Yehshua warned us that during this time:
Mat 24:10 And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets will rise and deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold.
Mat 24:13 But he who endures to the end, the same shall be kept safe.
Paul also warned Timothy about these last days, warning that some would leave the truth and begin to follow demonic teachers:
1Ti 4:1 But the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons,
Paul again warned the Thessalonians that the Great Falling away would take place in the last days. How can you fall away if you have never come to know the truth? So who is Paul talking to? Those who are called and answer that calling begin to walk this road of restoration back to Yehovah, and then at some point along that walk, they change and leave this walk following the teachings of demons to false calendar.
2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, my brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,
2Th 2:2 that you should not be soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word or letter, as through us, as if the Day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3 Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition,
2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself forth, that he is God.
We must endure until the end. We must not let ourselves become offended by personalities and leave the faith once given.
I want you all to have access to and the ability to read this book and use it as a reference. https://sightedmoon.com/the-stones-cry-out-lp/ Click on the link fill in the form and you will have access to the FREE PDF anywhere in the world. If you want a copy you can hold in your hands we have published it at Amazon for the lowest price they would allow us. Order you copy after Shabbat and begin to read it today.
It Was A Riddle Not A Command
It Was A Riddle Not A Command
Listen to this Podcast discussing one of Joseph’s most popular books.
You Can Learn the Secret Meaning of:
No One Knows the Day of the Hour
Why does no One Know When Jesus was born?
When Does the Thief in the Night Come?
Why Are the Foolish Virgins Rejected?
No One Knows The Day or The Hour is a Hebrew idiom or parable.
Jesus spoke in parables to conceal His message which He later explained to the Apostles.
No One Knows The Day or the Hour is telling you the very day He will come back on!
The exact opposite to what you thought it said!
This is the very same day when He first came.
The Book of Revelation Tells you the very day and hour He was born.
You are given clues in Revelation about the thief that comes in the night, about being caught naked and ashamed. All of these clues tell you about the very day He is coming back.
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians telling them they had no need to write them about the Day of the Lord
FOR THEY KNEW FULL WELL THE MOEDIM!!!
Knowing the Moedim shows you the Day and Hour No Man Can Know.
We are also told about the Two Witnesses in the Book of Revelation…
What revelations do the Two Witnesses show you about the birth of Jesus?
There was a heavenly Host praising God when Jesus was born.
This, too, tells you the Day He was born.
Are you aware that the 5 Foolish Virgins did not understand what the Thief in the Night was?
Do You?
All these questions and so much more are explained in detail.
It was a Riddle for us to figure out.
It was not a command that we could not know.
We can KNOW.
YOU Can Know!
Thoroughly researched and profoundly significant!
5.0 out of 5 stars
There just isn’t a better book on Christian prophecy than this! What an eye opener!
Of the many books and articles that I have read on prophecy in my personal search for truth, this is the only one that does not rely on old ideas that were developed hundreds of years ago when knowledge was minimal. So much more has been learned through historical and archeological research. The world has changed so much that before now no one could have clearly envisioned how prophecy might play out.
I think the average Christian doesn’t realize that recent developments in technology and huge increases in knowledge offer us a unique opportunity to raise the veil so that we might see clearly what was once hidden behind a dark glass.
After learning about these things and seriously considering the Bible, with a willingness to set aside my traditional beliefs about prophecy, I have come to the conclusion that this book is inspired by God. Mr. Dumond presents compelling information that overturns long held assumptions and unverified beliefs making the entire body of prophetic knowledge fully accessible. As a matter of fact I think that just about anyone with no previous knowledge of the Bible would understand things that scholars have devoted their lives to explaining.
I would like everyone to know what is being shown in the pages of this book. No serious truth seeker should pass up the opportunity to have their eyes opened through its revelations. I believe it is the most important book ever written,- next to the Bible itself.
Thank you Joseph Dumond.
Amazon Customer: Ross Boraan
Order your copy Today!
Sightedmoon.com Podcasts
Sightedmoon.com Podcasts
Here is the link to all the podcast Ryan is now cranking out. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sightedmoon-podcasts/id1208198329
Subscribe to the podcast here https://sightedmoon.blubrry.com/subscribe-to-podcast/
I encourage you all to subscribe so you can listen to it in your car or while working around the house.
Our Celtic Roots
Our Celtic Roots
A big thanks to our very first underwriter of the podcast. Joseph Dumond is an international speaker. He teaches the ancient roots of the Gaelic people at Sightedmoon.com.
You’ll hear me mention him in each episode of the podcast at the end of the show. This is not exactly advertising. It’s awareness promotion. I have no more than four more slots available every month if you, your business or your band want to be mentioned as an underwriter of the podcast.
Join Our Sabbath Meetings
Join Our Sabbath Meetings
There are many people in need of fellowship and who are sitting at home on the Sabbath with no one to talk to or debate with. I want to encourage all of you to join us on Shabbat, and to invite others to come and join us as well. If the time is not convenient then you can listen to the teaching and the midrash after on our YouTube channel.
What are we doing and why do we teach this way?
We are going to discuss both sides of an issue and then let you choose. It is the work of the Ruach (Spirit) to direct and to teach you.
The medieval commentator Rashi wrote that the Hebrew word for wrestle (avek) implies that Jacob was “tied”, for the same word is used to describe knotted fringes in a Jewish prayer shawl, the tzitzityot. Rashi says, “thus is the manner of two people who struggle to overthrow each other, that one embraces the other and knots him with his arms”.
Our intellectual wrestling has been replaced by a different kind of struggle. We are wrestling with Yehovah as we grapple with His Word. It is an intimate act, symbolizing a relationship in which Yehovah and you and I are bound together. My wrestling is a struggle to discover what Yehovah expects of us, and we are “tied” to the One who assists us in that struggle.
Today, many say Israel means “Champion of God”, or better — the “Wrestler of God”.
Our Torah sessions each Shabbat teaches you and encourages you to constantly challenge, question, argue against, as well as view alternative views and explanations of the Word. In other words, we are to “wrestle with the Word” to get to the truth. Jews worldwide believe that you need to wrestle with the Word and constantly challenge Dogma, Theology, and views or else you will never get to the Truth.
We are not like most churches where “The preacher talks and everyone listens.” We encourage everyone to participate, to question and to contribute what they know on the subject being discussed. We want you to be a champion wrestler of the Word of Yehovah. We want you to wear the title of Israel, knowing that you not only know but are capable of explaining why you know the Torah to be true with logic and facts.
We have a few rules though. Let others talk and listen. There is no discussion about UFO’s, Nephilim, Vaccines or conspiracy-type subjects. We have people from around the world with different world views. Not everyone cares who is the President of any particular country. Treat each other with respect as fellow wrestlers of the word. Some of our subjects are hard to understand and require you to be mature and if you do not know, then listen to gain knowledge and understanding and hopefully wisdom. The very things you are commanded to ask Yehovah for and He gives to those who ask.
Jas 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.
We hope you can invite those who want to keep Torah to come and join us by hitting the link below. It is almost like a Torah teaching fellowship talk show with people from around the world taking part and sharing their insights and understandings.
We start off with some music and then some prayers and it’s as though you were sitting around the kitchen back in Newfoundland having a cup of coffee and all of us enjoying each other’s company. I hope you will grace us with your company someday.
Sabbath services begin at 12:30 PM EDT where we will be doing prayers, songs and teaching from this hour.
Shabbat midrash will begin at about 1:15 pm Eastern.
We look forward to you joining our family and getting to know us as we get to know you.
Joseph Dumond is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Joseph Dumond’s Personal Meeting Room
Join Zoom Meeting
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Torah Portion
Torah Portions
We read through the entire Torah along with the Prophets and the New Testament once over the course of 3 1/2 years. Or according to the Sabbatical Cycle which means we read it all twice over a 7-year period. This allows us to cover more in-depth rather than being rushed to cover as much as is covered on an annual basis. We allow all to comment and take part in the discussions.
Septennial Torah Portion
If you go to Torah Portion in our archived section, you can then go to the 1st year, which is the 1st year of the Sabbatical Cycle, the one we are in now, as we state at the top of every Newsletter. There, you can scroll down to the proper date and see that this Shabbat, we could very well be midrashing about:
Leviticus 25
Ezekiel 29-32
1 Peter 5 – 2 Peter 1
We are in the 1st Sabbatical Cycle in 2024-2025. We go through the entire Bible twice in a 7 year cycle. This means we cover the entire Bible once every 3 1/2 years. It gives us more time to debate and discuss each portion we read.
If you missed last week’s exciting discoveries as we studied that section, you can go and watch past Shabbats on our media section.
Rose Treasure's blog
If you’d like to follow along on this Barley Search Journey, Rose is keeping a daily journal on her blog. She will share as regularly as she can, giving her own personal perspective of the events.
Barley Search 2026 https://share.google/
1 Day: Sorrow and Joy
Sorrow and Joy
I learned that a dear friend passed away. Her name was Jud. She was a uniquely talented and beautiful individual. From the first time I met her, I knew she was special. I wish we were closer, but I’m sure that fault is mine. I’m not good at managing friendships. I have some good friendships in this world, but mostly because my friends are good friends.
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1 day!! |
Jud came to my house when I was sick. She brought me food. She brought me counsel. She brought me sympathy. She brought me friendship. She invited me to her lovely home many times for coffee, feasts, celebrations, and conversations.
I planned to write this post about packing, living through the final days which are too long and too short at the same time, and cashing in my cans and change. Those things are still present and part of the experience. But the float has gone from my balloon. I still feel a sense of accomplishment and joy at the upcoming trip. Yet my mind keeps circling back to the memory that my friend is no longer shining her light in this world. The world is diminished without her.
One thing I’ve learned is that grief doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The world is not going to stop. Even though I really want it to just stop and let me off for a minute, the minutes and hours and days will keep right on going by.
When I made this pilgrimage in 2016, I didn’t actually tell anyone I was going until about a month before I went. My family knew – but I was not used to sharing my thoughts and experiences back then, and I had no confidence in my writing. When she heard, Jud immediately was interested in my crazy trip. She wanted to know everything. She wanted to see pictures, asked such great questions, and encouraged me to start my blog for that trip when I mentioned it. (So I DID!) After my trip, she invited me over to chat with her and her husband about the experience. It meant so much to me to talk to her and I so enjoyed her interest.
It baffles me that I am now down to just under 1 day away from my adventure beginning! I have one more day, one Sabbath and I am on my way to Portland! I’m doing pre-trip things – I brought my work plant home, packed everything I can live without, organized my electronics, and checked for the 300th time that my work time is arranged. I’ve checked for my passport, my funds and credit cards, and my travel authorization again and again.
I’ve packed my suitcases, checked my lists repeatedly, removed things, added things, and shooed the animals off my suitcases again and again. Tonight I will have Sabbath dinner, and tomorrow evening, Rebecca will be here to fetch me, and away to the hotel I go.
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All done now! |
My flight leaves early Sunday morning. I have a five hour layover at LAX, and there I will meet another friend and we will keep each other company through the trip. I’m so excited to be traveling with a group for the first time ever.
And during all of it, I will carry a saddness about Jud. I will miss her and miss knowing she is in the world. I will think about her. I will talk about her. I will remember her. I will carry her memory with me. Because I can’t do anything else.
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If they could only fit! |
Keep me in your prayers, my friends. Pray for blessings and Shalom! (Peace)
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Day 2: Starting the Barley Search
Day 2: Starting the Barley Search
Tuesday, 2/24/2026
Today, we did not find enough barley to declare it aviv (ripe.) More on that in a moment. There is so much to tell!!
The day was a hard start for everyone. Almost all parties traveled a long distance the day before and we were a slow moving group. Fortunately, the hotel had a lovely breakfast for us and a really lovely coffee machine.
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| Go Shawna Photo by Anita |
A nice stroll to our parking spot helped get the blood flowing. Once in the car, we headed south. On our way to our first location, of course we got stuck in the mud. The men got it out, with Shawna’s excellent driving. I was very grateful for my beautiful new boots for keeping my feet dry and comfy.
Our first stop was the site of the Nova Festival Massacre. There’s a spiritual weight at this site we could feel as soon as we arrived – a sense of heaviness and sorrow. As if the space itself remembers the events that happened there. As if the spirits of violence and fear and sorrow still linger. In a relatively short time, Israel has turned this site into a well-developed designated memorial. It’s paved, has signs and bathrooms for visitors. It’s surprisingly popular. While we were there, many cars and buses came in and out, carrying people who were coming to pay their respects. Each time as the teens and families and soldiers approached, the usual activity and chatter of people in groups would diminish, then stop as each person walked among the placards and memorials and signs and photos in mostly silence.
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| Picture by Joe Dumond |
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Photo by Anita |
After a search nearby there for the ripe barley and a lesson in what, exactly we are looking for, we stopped at a couple of other places, including Tel Gamma. This archeological site is the location for an ancient city that populated throughout history by several different peoples. See the wiki link here: Tel Gamma – Wikipedia And of course, another car got stuck. And again, the men got it out. Thanks men!
At this location, we tentatively declared that the Barley is almost aviv!! (See the photos) Shawna and I also spent a little time examining the pottery shards and other items that had washed down from the tel.
We finished with dinner at a nice pub in the seaside city of Ashkelon, called Archies. The food was delicious, the service was great, and the beer was very good.
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| Barley Wheat |
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Day 3: Barley in the Jordan Valley
Day 3: Barley in the Jordan Valley
February 25, 2026
Today, our day started like the others. We met in the breakfast room and enjoyed a nice breakfast and much needed coffee. After breakfast, we made our way to our cars. I confess, walking to the cars is one of the nerve-wracking parts of the day. That’s because drivers in Israel are a unique breed. I’ve been all over the US, and drivers can be a little aggressive and sometimes rude, but in general people follow the rules and obey traffic laws. In Israel drivers are a little bit more fluid with the rules. That being the case, it is essential to pay attention and for the pedestrians to have self-preservation in mind. We headed to the Jordan River Valley. I was so impressed with the beauty of the drive. We went over the mountains, which is so much fun for an Oregonian! At the bottom of the mountains, we stopped and had some snacks in a little village called En Malqoa. The cream cheese danish was delicious, and I met this sweet, funny kitty!!
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| Yes! This is how he sits. |
After the restroom break and snack stop, we got back on the road and made our first tourist stop of the day. We went to someplace everyone reads about in the Bible, but it doesn’t really strike most people to consider – where is this place? From now on I will see it clearly in my mind.
Joshua 3:19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
Gilgal is the first location that the Israelites camped up after crossing the Jordan. We turned down a dirt road, then another dirt road, passed through a farm and a flock of sheep with a shepherd, donkey, and a dog, and then on up to a huge flat spot. Here we found the first and oldest footprint of the Holy Tabernacle in Israel.
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| Footprint of the Tabernacle |
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| The other end of the footprint |
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| Their view as they camped here. Try to imagine it without the farm in front. |
This is the place that they made sharp tools (there are flint-napped stones everywhere) and they circumcised all of the men and then they celebrated Passover for the first time “in the land.” This is what it would have looked like! They crossed over in the first month – the month of Aviv!! There are signs of them here! You can see the rock walls in the photo, we found worked stone for the cutting tools, and we saw many, many pottery shards here.
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| Sea of Galilea |
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| Rose Shawna Mitzi |
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| Photo by Shane |
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| Photo of an excellent dinner Courtesy of Joe |
About the Barley
Friday, February 27, 2026
Day 4 and 5 – Shiloh and Shabbat
Day 4 and 5 – Shiloh and Shabbat
Thursday and Friday – February 25 & 26, 2026
Total miles traveled to date: 8727
Miles traveled today: 85
Steps taken today: 10,518
Steps taken to date: 45,889
Details: Tel Aviv to Shiloh – to Gva’Ot Winery
Total Miles Driven Today:85 miles
Yesterday we traveled somewhere I have been to before – but the last time I went it was a Shabbat, and the facilities were not open. It was a joy and a pleasure to visit Ancient Shilo (pronounced Shee-low.)
First, of course, was the walk to the car. This particular morning it was quite cold and windy. We stopped as we do to pray together, and as we stood and prayed, a beam of sun came down on us. Hallelu-Yah!!
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| Hello, Cow |
Shilo was another place where the tabernacle was assembled, like Gilgal, but it was more of a permanent settlement for the Israelites. It was from this place that the tribes individually went out to conquer the land. It was also the place that Hannah, the mother of Samuel, went forth and prayed and asked YHVH to give her a son. It was the place that ultimately the tabernacle was destroyed, and the Jewish people were dispersed. If you are interested in learning more about that, you can read about it here: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5410544/jewish/The-Mystery-of-Shiloh.htm
The weather was shockingly cold, and the wind blew. When we first got out of the cars, I asked the Father to help us out with that. The wind never ceased, but the rain stopped entirely, and while we talked the sun came out and stayed shining the remainder of the day. Hallelu-Yah!
After a stop for some coffee and souvenirs, we met the neatest lady! She told us the story of the red heiffers – the history of what has happened since they were brought from Texas to Israel. I have tucked that video into here. I tried to upload the video but I’m having technical difficulties. I will try to post it later.
Next we went and saw the red heifers! The heifers are required for the new temple.
Leviticus 19:1 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you an unblemished red heifer that has no defect and has never been placed under a yoke. 3 Give it to Eleazar the priest, and he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4 Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting. 5 Then the heifer must be burned in his sight. Its hide, its flesh, and its blood are to be burned, along with its dung. 6 The priest is to take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer.
7 Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean until evening. 8 The one who burned the heifer must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he too will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
9 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to gather up the ashes of the heifer and store them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They must be kept by the congregation of Israel for preparing the water of purification; this is for purification from sin. 10 The man who has gathered up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he will be ceremonially unclean until evening. This is a permanent statute for the Israelites and for the foreigner residing among them.
Basically, soap is made from the ashes, and then the soap is used to make the priests ceremonially clean. The red heifer story in modern Israel is, in itself, an interesting story. The man who had the cows was a Texas rancher – the rancher started growing the cows because he wanted to grow red heifers like the Bible says. So when the priests approached him about them, he was thrilled to provide the cows. See that story here: https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-717650
We walked into a plain room with a lot of chairs. The production started, and we listened to the story of the cows and what brought them here. After the production, the screen opened up and there behind were four somewhat bored looking cows. The closest cow did not look amused, but with some patience on my part, she eventually turned and looked at me.
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| She was not amused. |
This was followed by a visit to a “holographic” temple, which was actually kind of neat, but I did not get any photos. The presentation brought to life the tabernacle experience, and highlighted various parts of the tabernacle. Then we looked at several archeological digs and remnants of the former civilizations that lived there on our way to the top of the hill.
A lookout has been built there, with a small museum on the bottom floor, and a screen room at the top. There we watched the story of the tabernacle and the story of Hannah, which was a lovely thing.
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| The presentation/lookout tower |
Finally, we strolled down to the location where the tabernacle would have stood. As we walked, my heart became full of song. I began to sing and hum and all of the songs that came into my heart were songs about His holiness, entering the temple, and blessings upon us. The wind carried away my song offering.
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| The view from the Tabernacle |
Eventually, I began to walk back down with Shawna. As we chatted, I shared a confidence with her: I had always wanted to start a non-profit that focuses on helping people, especially Christians, come to Israel. I feel like American Christians are detached from the roots of their faith, and so many of them do not consider travel to Israel because it is so expensive. A family of six or eight or ten would find it prohibitively expensive. I even have a name for it: Bridge to Zion.
When I left Israel in 2016, my heart burned to do this, but I could never gain any traction, I didn’t have the connections, and eventually I let it go and let the dream die.
As I was walking with Shawna, we passed a couple of people who happened to be sitting there. They heard us chatting, and one of them said she had a book with a list of tour guides that could help with this! It was a book she had bought here at Shilo some months before, and she let me take a picture. Shawna told them that I tend the widows of our group, and they blessed me for doing so. As I write my skin is breaking out in goose flesh. Those were the only people we passed the entire walk down, and the fact that we were discussing that exact thing as we passed so they could hear can only be a god-incidence. Perhaps Bridge to Zion is not dead. Perhaps it was only asleep.
We then got a recommendation for a winery nearby, and we hurried to enjoy a meal. What followed was a delicious wine, cheese, olives, and bread experience, and more chatter and talk. The winery, called Gva’Ot, was wonderfully accommodating to such a large group of people. They helped us order, fed us fully, and then we headed back to Tel Aviv.
I confess I took up all the oxygen in the car on the way back. I have always wanted to discuss so many things with Joe! We found out that Joe and I are cousins! In a manner of speaking. We both descend from William the Conqueror, and eventually learned that Johann, a fellow traveler, also has these family roots hiding in their tree.
Anyone who makes the mistake of letting me talk about my genealogy for too long will get an earful, and they might also find out that I am a little bit nuts. I believe that most Hebrews are descended from the line of David somewhere along the way. Of course, people intermarry and clans combine, and it’s impossible to tell without a DNA test and a genealogy search to be sure, but I know for YHVH that the children of Israel were never lost. My own father knew very little about who we were, and where we came from. My own revelations for him were very exciting and I wish he could be here to meet other long-lost cousins as I am getting to know.
Modern peoples, especially Americans, have forgotten where we come from. We are Americans, full stop. What our families were before that seems irrelevant. It took digging, real effort, to locate my family tree and educate my own self on who we are and where we came from. It’s clear that the people I come from were the founders of our nation, and that the Father knew exactly who we were the whole time.
I finished my day with a walk to the Mediterranean to see the sunset.
This evening begins the Sabbath for us. This morning, we all declared we believe the barley to be aviv, so we will keep the holy feast this next week. We will dine together tonight, and tomorrow we will do very little – we will pray and sing and rest, as Hebrews do. As I prepare for this Sabbath, I keep finding tears running from my eyes. I was so alone for so long in the Sabbath and the feasts, so certain that I was doing the right thing but also so lonely in the doing. I was always the peculiar one – the one saying no to going out, to eating out, to doing things, to working. To be able to share this weekly Shabbat with my fellow travelers is almost more joy than I can stand. To be able to enjoy the richness and goodness of the Shabbat right here in the promised land fills my heart with song and the joy is leaking out of my eyes.
If you have never taken a Sabbath, I invite you to join us just to experiment. Cancel your plans for Saturday and stay home. Read the Bible, watch a movie, enjoy your family, play a game, go for a walk. Slow down, breathe it in, and worship your god. If you choose these things, I pray the mystery of the Sabbath is revealed to you, and that you find yourself satisfied with his goodness and refreshed for the week to come.
Blessed are you, YHVH our god, King of the Universe, who sanctifies us with his commandments, and who commands us to keep the Shabbat.
Shabbat shalom, from Tel Aviv!
Rose Treasure's Second week
Rose Treasure’s Second week
If you’d like to follow along on this Barley Search Journey, Rose is keeping a daily journal on her blog. She will share as regularly as she can, giving her own personal perspective of the events.
Barley Search 2026 https://share.google/
Day 7: Bombs, Beach, and Breakfast
Day 7: Bombs, Breakfast, and the Beach
March 1, 2026
Total miles traveled to date: 8642
Steps taken today: 9779
Steps taken to date: 45,150
Details: Hanging around Tel Aviv-Yafo
Total Miles Driven Today: 0
For Erev Shabbat, Friday night, we enjoyed a beautiful meal together of items we got at the store – meet and cheese and crackers and some pita with hummus. Our time together was so good! As we enjoyed our meal, we had all received notifications that the US Government was urging their employees to leave due to an increased terror threat. Honestly, it was so out of context that we discussed whether to go or stay. I think we all agreed to stay.
That night, I was awake a lot. Much of the time when I am woken up like that it is for me to pray, but I couldn’t decide what to pray for. So I prayed for the peace of Israel, the people here, and a relief to any tensions that may occur. I prayed for the safety of my family and friends and nation far back home. Eventually, I fell back to sleep.
I came downstairs in my pajamas at breakfast time, but all I really wanted was some coffee. I had intended to go right back up, but I saw Richard, one of my fellow travelers, and sat down to chat with him while I enjoyed my first cup of coffee on what I thought would be a quiet Shabbat. That was not meant to be.
The first alarm went off at around 7 am. The employee setting up breakfast was obviously alarmed, and waved us into the nearby shelter – or safe space – and soon the entire hotel was there, and some of the neighbors.
At that time, we did not know that Israel and the US had started attacking Iran. We didn’t know the alarm was because of retaliation for that. We didn’t know what we was happening at all. Over the course of the day, we were in and out of the shelter more than 20 times. Sometimes we would still be emerging from the shelter just as another alarm came through. Our group likely would have spent most of the day in the breakfast area regardless so we could fellowship and pray. Instead, we spent the day in companionable fear.
We borrowed the conference room at the hotel for our morning prayer meeting, and I was so blessed to be able to share the Sabbath prayers in person! So many times over the past 6 years I have lead the prayers for them on Zoom, where I could only imagine my friends joining me. It was lovely to lift our voices together and share in these beautiful moments.
Throughout the day our phones shouted out, the Tzophar app warning us about incoming bombs. You may have seen on the news that one bomb got through, and killed a woman at a nearby apartment building. We heard that one. It was loud, but not that close. It’s a terrible feeling knowing that someone may have died.
What can I say about what this feels like? How can I express the sensation that death might fall from the sky at any moment? How can I explain how it feels when one’s phone starts screaming, and warning that a launch has occurred, and bombs may be here in a few minutes, and then to hear everyone else’s phone go off at the same time? How can I describe what it feels like to sit with strangers and share a tiny, claustrophobic, space with 20 fragile people?
The pattern has become familiar. The alarm goes off on my phone, and a mechanical voice tells me that alerts are expected in a few minutes, and to be prepared to take shelter. Then the air raid sirens sound – usually going down the stairs. Any American mid-westerner would recognize this sound – the great big “woooooooo—-wooooooo” Everyone stops what they are doing – sleeping, showering, eating – writing – even as I write this, my phone is starting to beep. It warns us we have a few minutes – then the alarms start wailing. We cram into the claustrophobic safety space – and we chatter – talking – listening – waiting – staring at our phones and waiting for the all clear.
People come in off the streets. This morning we had an IDF member come through, full uniform, rifle over his shoulder, pack on his back. People have come in while walking their dogs, and neighbors in nearby buildings have become familiar faces. From the time you hear the initial warning to the time the bombs reach Isreali airspace is 10-15 minutes, and then the alarms begin to wail – on our phones and in the city.
The night’s sleep was interrupted twice – and then finally we got a little rest. Of course, it began again about 6:30 this morning and then again at almost 8. Eventually, Shawna and I decided to venture out and were gratified to see the world was coming out as well.
We visited a restaurant called, “Lebowski’s” that has Lebowski as their symbol. It’s funny the mix of American products and American-ism you see here. McDonald’s and Dominoes both have stores nearby. There’s a Papa John’s down the street, and nearly all of the condiments are Heinz. In the grocery store, you see American products like Krusteaz pancake mix next to Hebrew brands and other international brands I do not recognize.
Our breakfast was delicious – I had eggs benedict on toast with a huge green salad. Shawna had a burger that looked so good, I wanted to eat meat!! While we ate, funny little birds flew into the patio space we were in and eat crumbs we tossed to them. It’s so strange to enjoy such a charming breakfast at a sidewalk café while wondering where the nearest bomb shelter is located. I was too busy eating and didn’t take any photos, but here’s a picture of a ginger pigeoan I found on the way. You all know I love my gingers!
Shawna and I then walked over to the sea together. It was so beautiful out! It seemed impossible that bombs could fall. We were picking up shells and talking to the pigeons, who seemed to be escorting us down to the beach. Just as we decided we would come back to the hotel, our phones gave the initial alarm. I was confident that we could make it back to the Port Hotel, so we hustled back. We made it in plenty of time.
I finished my day with a walk to the sea to watch the sunset with friends.
And we finished with wine and pasta at a nearby restaurant called the Pasteria, for possibly the very best cheese tortellini in cream sauce I’ve ever eaten – fresh bread and delicious Israeli wine.
In American, people talk about “privilege.” Checking one’s privilege, white privilege, American privilege. But when I see Israeli’s getting on with their lives under the threat of daily bombings – visiting stores and restaurants and walking their dogs and children, I realize what a great privilege it has been to grow up in the country of cities without walls. Where we have never known the experience to need to rush to a bomb shelter – to be awakened by bomb alarms, to be forced into tiny cramped spaces for safety. To go to sleep in my bed at night, and wake up in the morning uninterrupted by the fear of death. It’s amazing how quickly it becomes “normal,” but it should never be normal.
I give thanks to my god for the great privilege of growing up in America. I give thanks that I have been safe from bombs and fear and midnight alarms. I give thanks that my children and grandchildren have always known that sense of safety and security. I am indeed privileged. I lift up the beautiful people of Israel, and ask YHVH to protect them and keep them – to smile up on them and be gracious to them – to lift up his countenance upon them and above all things, I wish them shalom.
Tomorrow we will go out again and try to tourist. We came here to do some things, and we want to be doing them. We will commence with our Pesach a month “early” as the Hillel calendar does not follow the barley as we do. Tomorrow evening we will do the footwashing, and then Wednesday evening we will observe our pesach. For the next seven days we will eat unleavened bread, and look forward to the Feast of First fruits.
If anyone wonders, I am not afraid. I do not fear the bombs or the uncertainty. I do not fear my possible death, as I cannot see that YHVH would send 14 witnesses all this way just to kill us. Even so, I covet your prayers, family. Please keep myself, Shawna, Joe, Randy, Richard, Ann and Antony, Johan and Karen, Frank and Mary, Shane and Anita and Mitzi all in your prayers. Please mention us by name and ask the Father to continue to hold us in the palm of his hand.
It is such a privilege to be here. It’s such a joy to contribute to this economy, to meet these kind and resilient people, and to enjoy the wildlife here. May YHVH bless you and keep you as well for taking the time to read my blog.
Shalom from Tel Aviv
Day 8: David and Goliath
Day 8: David and Goliath
Monday – March 2, 2026
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| Coffee Friend |
This morning began as the last few have – with bomb alarms. My new least favorite way to wake up. After stumbling downstairs to the bomb shelter, I was at least glad to get a cup of coffee. Following the alarms, I retreated to my room for a much needed shower, then back down for more coffee. We met briefly to discuss our day and Joe asked each of us individually if we wanted to go home.
We all agreed – we came here for a purpose. We all agreed we wanted to stay. So instead, we strolled back down to our parking lot, and headed off to explore. The city was a little eerie – in mornings past, the traffic is so loud and heavy, we can barely talk and we certainly must be careful of our own self-preservation when we cross streets, but today we almost had the streets to ourselves.
We drove to the Elah Valley national park. This is the fort where Saul was camped up when Goliath came along and picked a fight.
1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines.
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| Interesting roads you have here. |
Our little caravan of cars trekked carefully up a fairly poorly maintained dirt road – I felt like I was back in Oregon off-roading!! Eventually we met a gate, and we got out and walked. I just want to point on this sign that some member of the public, probably an Arab, scratched the word “Capital” off of the sign in all of the languages. They would like to erase Israel’s heritage.
We traversed up a very steep dirt path and there was the first gate of the “Fort of Two Gates.” We stopped to listen to a lecture by Joe, and there we found ourselves outside for the first time during a missile threat. Understand, we were out away from the cities, and the Iranians and Hezbollah are both firing not at strategic targets, as Israel and her allies are doing, but these murderers attack civilian centers deliberately. We were in no serious danger since they are not interested in bombing stones, but we camped up in the fort rocks regardless. The picture of that – modern day people being protected from modern day attacks among the rocks of the ancient fort gives me gooseflesh. All these years later, Saul is still protecting the children of Israel. Hallelu-Yah!
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| Sheltering in the ancient shelter |
For the first time I was able to witness the “Iron Dome” in action. I’m sorry I have no pictures! It all happened rather quickly, and though I took a few photos, it looks like plain blue sky. We could see flashes and small explosions. The loss of life would be tremendous without YHVH’s hand of protection over it – the Iron Dome. I am exceedingly grateful. We also saw a couple of jets, but we were too far away to identify them. Unfortunately, an apartment building in Beer Sheeba was hit, and many were injured.
We continued up our trek to the fort – finding along the way a mostly intact set of stairs. I felt very cool walking up and down stone steps hewn by an ancient Israeli. I have a lot more photos, but let’s be honest – rock walls look like rock walls.
We made it to the gate looking over the valley, and that is where we we read 1 Samuel 17, and talked about what we saw there. An unknown visitor came to join our scripture reading, and to listen to Joe talk about the scene before us and how YHVH rescued his people through the young future King David. As Joe was teaching, along came a stranger from Japan, and he listened to us read the word and then listened as Joe explained what we were seeing. This has happened a few times – where our services and our teachings were heard by others. Praise Yah for drawing the chosen to us!
From this spot, you can clearly see the valley where the Goliath would have stood – bellowing up at King Saul, the terrified Israeli’s, and young David. You can stand at the gate to the fort and see where there once was a gravel road clearly coming up into the gate, and you can see standing walls where the soldiers would have lived, worked, and trained.
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| Welcome, Visitor!! |
The view you see below is the exact view that King David and Saul would have seen!!
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| The Valley of Elah!! |
We made our way back to the cars, and headed back down the mountain.
We turned around and went to the creek bed where David would have picked up his stones and, well….we picked up stones!! From the very creek where King David himself once stood, we stood and picked up rocks. We were further down the creek, not wanting to hike all the way back up there, but it was no less interesting and exciting for that.
1 Samuel 17:40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the YHVH rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the YHVH’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
To finish the day, we ate at another great restaurant!! We are trying to support local businesses here, so we had a delicious bunch of food. We went to a beach town called Bat Yam and I had an amazing eggplant dish and a delicious chardonnay. Of course, we had an alarm while we were there. It’s amazing how almost casual we have become about finding a bomb shelter. We came back and finished our meal.
Physically, we have been greatly blessed by YHVH during our time here. We have eaten good food, enjoyed one another tremendously, and visited some of the best sites. I have not felt afraid. I have not worried about a flight home, and how that will happen. I have not worried about my life. I worry that my family worries, but I can’t help that and if our places were reversed, I would worry about them, too.
Tomorrow, we are going to Megiddo! AKA Armageddon!! We’ll be back here to perform the foot-washing ceremony tomorrow.
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| Picture by Anita |
Day 9, 10, & 11 – Armegeddon, Divine Appointments, and Passover
Days 9, 10, & 11
March 3, 4, 5, 2026
Total miles traveled to date: 8,811
Steps taken last three days: 22,286
Steps taken to date: 76,473
Details: Tel Aviv to Megiddo – to Zichron Ya’Akov – to Jerusalem – to Tel Aviv
Total Miles Driven Last three days: 107
Today you are getting a triple portion – It’s been a busy few days, and a Sabbath. Thanks for your patience. 😊
Day 9: Armageddon and Foot Washing – March 3
To anyone close to me who lets me talk about it too long, you know that I’m a prophecy nut. Today was a fulfillment of a dream for me – one of the items long on my list – to visit the one place we know exists in future prophecy – the Valley of Megiddo – otherwise known as Armageddon.
This morning we woke to no alarms. The blessed silence was almost eerie. I woke at 7am the most rested I’ve been since we arrived. We trickled in and out of the breakfast room, chattering and enjoying coffee. While I sipped I asked my daughter for a picture of Sadie.
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| Picture by Karen |
It’s silly, but the thing I miss the most when I travel is my doggy. At home she is my constant companion – literally following me from room to room, even camping up outside the bathroom. Usually only a few days into a trip, I am missing my doggy.
Eventually, we gathered in the lobby to head out.
This day we say goodbye to our friend Randy. Randy has been a force for good here in Israel. His is always the positive voice, the jovial attitude, and his presence will be sorely missed. However, he has commitments at home and he wants to make it back to Texas before the pesach.
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| God Speed, Randy. |
We headed to the cars and travelled east toward Jerusalem. Because of the war many things are closed. The Home Front Command ordered them closed for safety. Businesses without access to bomb shelters are all closed, and the public sites have no staffing. So we were able to get to the base of Tel Megiddo, but no closer.
You may not know that a “tel” is an archeaological mound, where one or many vilages or towns is buried. The Megiddo tel once was the home of a huge community of administrators and solders and a royal city. You can see more about that here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Megiddo
We have come to search for the barley, and directly across the road from the Tel was a gigantic field of barley! Much of it was bent over, which means it’s almost ripe. Not ALL of it was ripe, but certainly enough to make a full bowl of barley. We spent a long time enjoying the sun and taking photos and enjoying the barley. I stood in barley taller than me and sang the Aaronic blessing over the country of Israel.
Today is the first day that I found out that not everyone has a song in their head all the time. I thought this was normal. For me, whenever we are out in the Land, I had been hearing various versions of the Aaronic Blessing as we drive along and walk on the paths and study the archeology all around us. I try not to sing aloud too much because of the many times I’ve been asked to sing solo – so low we can’t hear you!! I finally asked if I might sing it, and I sang the version my daughter Rebecca wrote. The English goes like this: May YHVH bless you and keep you, May YHVH make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May YHVH lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Except I sang it in the Hebrew in the wind and the sun with the nearly ripe barley all around me.
Following, we wanted to go to a winery and enjoy cheese and wine, so we looked up Carmel winery. It is a very old winery, and that would have been a great experience. Unfortunately, we did not know it was closed due to the war. However, Joe met two beautiful ladies, Tamar and Tal – who invited us back to their home!!
That’s when I met these two buddies! This is Toto and Pandi (as in Panda.) They were rescues by Tal, and YHVH knew I needed some dog lovings so bad this day. Toto trotted along with us, clearly knowing I was coming to his home and guiding me there as I walked along. He was a consummate host, and I am so grateful for him.
The two ladies took us through Tal’s charming home and out to a beautiful shady courtyard. They shared a bottle of wine and some chips. Joe explained to them what we are doing there, and Tamar wanted us to know that we are welcome in their town.
While chatting with us, she casually said that we came at the right time because in two to two and a half weeks, everything would be brown. Joe practically jumped out of his skin! This is exactly what we are doing here, and he didn’t prompt her to say this in any way. We keep Passover “early”. Ahead of the Hillel calendar, based purely on the idea that the “Aviv” barley, the green ears, would not be green at all a month later! The barley we saw in the field today would be nothing but dried, brown grass under the hot Israel sun.
Following our refreshing visit, and all those the dog lovings, we made our way to the center of the tiny village of Zichron Ya’Akov – (which means remembering Jacob). We bought bread for our evening ceremony, then down the block to a wonderful wine and liquor shop. We crossed the street to the parking lot, and found a tiny schwarma place. I had a delicious humus and salad pita, and enjoyed a fantastic bottle of grapefruit juice beneath the Israeli flag.
We made our way back and prepared for the ceremony. This was not my first foot washing ceremony, and I always find it loving and gratifying. So we stood on the roof our our hotel, peering out over the city and the sea, and communed with one another as Yeshua communed with his disciples.
We completed our footwashing and read the Bible, and then off to bed.
Day 10:
Day 10: Wednesday March 3, 2026 – Prepping for Pesach and Divine appointments
Of course we were woken up for a few bomb warnings, but we were able to get some sleep. The alarms made sure we would all be ready for our outing for the day. This morning, on the way out of Tel Aviv, I requested the Father give me some cat love, because I so miss my cats.
On the way out, knowing we would keep Passover that night, we took all of our bread and some leftovers over to a nearby park where the birds hang out. There were none of the birds actually in the park, but I could see them waiting for us on the light posts. As soon as we tossed bread, they came swooping down so beautifully! Dozens of pigeons and some of these adorable hooded crows which are everywhere in Israel. Suddenly, we saw some parrots among the mix!
The birds loved the food, and I felt like the Pied Piper of birds!
Video by Johan
Joe took us to JERUSALEM! This is the second time I’ve visited the land, but it was so good to go back to the Beautiful City! It was also nice to see it through the eyes of others who haven’t been there.
We went someplace private: The Maison d’Abraham – the house of Abraham. This required going up the tiniest roads and the steepest, which Joe, our intrepid leader, does with no fear – all the fear is in the back seat!!
The fellow at Maison d’Abraham remembered Joe and was kind enough to give us a few moments. What we went there for was the tomb of Messiah. The tomb where he was laid. The tomb where he was resurrected. I know the world believes it is another tomb, but they would be mistaken. The tomb beneath the convent and monastary is the real deal. They asked us to leave, however – and so we did.
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| He is RISEN!! |
We stopped at an overlook, and I took all of these pictures – see below. The Mount of Olives was on my list last time I visited, but I never did get up the hill. This time, I took my time and took a good long look. I also sang a song, which is becoming a theme for me. This time is was, “For From Zion Comes Forth Torah” which I can sing in English and Hebrew, so I did repeatedly.
We went back down the crazy steep roads, and Joe showed us, prophetically what is going to happen when the Mount of Olives splits in two and the refugees go through it. It was fascinating, and again terrifying, but eventually, we stopped at a lovely park full of purple lupine nearby the UN Headquarters, and looked across Judea toward the Dead Sea. It wasn’t quite clear enough to see the sea, but the view was still impressive.
Just then, Joe received a call he had been waiting for. I don’t want to go into it too much here, but Joe was given a small bit of the red heifer’s ashes while he was at a convention for Christian Broadcasters. Now he was in need of an unused jar, and the person who gave him the ashes told him he knew someone who can sell him a jar. For purification, the priests required ashes from the red heifer, water, a clean never used jar. The ashes are mixed into the jar with fresh water, and they are sprinkled on the priests with hyssop.
This was the beginning of divine appointments for us, but the first on was mine! Joe received a phone call just as we finished at the UN headquarters in Jerusalem The call was from the lady about the jars. We agreed to wait nearby at an overlook for her to come to her studio, which was very near where we were. The overlook was a beautiful park with sculpture.
While we hung out there, I was leaning over a railing and saw a kitty cat down below. I called the cat, and I swear to you she looked up at me like she recognized me, and broke into a cat jog. I stepped away, thinking she was hunting something, when suddenly her came above the stairs. I said out loud, “That cat is here for me!”
For the next half hour while we waited, I was loved on by that cat. I also loved that cat, but she really loved me. She cuddled me, purred, climbed in my lap. Shawna (thank you, Shawna!!) gave me a beef stick, and Miss Kitty loved on me while I fed it to her. Then we had some cat club time, and she literally laid on my feet. I named her Ariel, and asked the Father to find her a good home, with good loving people for her obedience in coming to bless me! This is twice in two consecutive days that YHVH heard my heart and sent me the love I needed!!
The next divine appointment was with the lady with the jars. She met us at her studio, very nearby where we were. While we were there, it was a bomb threat, so we all went into the building with her and sheltered there. When we left, we knew we needed to prepare for the Passover that evening.
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| Clip from Video by Johan |
Joe drove us to a store, and just as we pulled up, there was another alarm. We ducked into the store, and the proprietor welcomed us in. He guided us to his shelter, so we bought a BUNCH of food. While standing there waiting for the all clear, I spotted a pair of scissors! I’m so excited! I had an opportunity to cut my hair once, at Elah, and I didn’t have the scissors to do it. Now, they are in my bag, and I am ready for the next opportunity.
We bought so many things in that store, and then Joe said he knew where there was a schwarma shop. Schwarma is a sort of middle easter sandwich in a pita. Find about schwarma here. Joe practically ran to the shop, all of us ladies and Johan huffing and puffing behind him, and began to order everything. Of course, we didn’t want the pita for Passover, so Joe bought some of everything else they had for sale. All of it. It filled a box. While we waited for them to fill everything, there was another alarm, and they invited us to the back of the store. We waited again, and then Joe gave the man the money, plus a generous tip, and the man, knowing we were headed to Tel Aviv said, “If the alarms go off, get under a bridge.” This was our second divine appointment.
We rushed back to the car, and headed back to Tel Aviv. One of the fun things about traveling around Israel is that so many things are still named after the places in the Bible! I find myself constantly looking things up and reading the word as we drive along. In this case, we passed Lod, and I invite you to look it up and see what happened there!
Our third divine appointment happened in traffic. We reached a red traffic light just as the alarms went off. A lady pulled up next to us and for no reason started shouting. Joe opened his window and she also told us that we should get under the bridge, just like the man at the schwarma shop. We did, of course, and had time to talk to an Israeli there who told us we were “Better than Jews,” since we came to Israel and are blessing the people here. Then the alarm was over, and we we got back to the hotel with time to spare.
I grabbed a shower and threw out the last item that might be yeasty, then we settled in for dinner, surprisingly delicious, and a reading. I was so tired, I actually fell asleep, to the great amusement of my travel companions. To their credit, no one woke me, they just read on without me.
Finally it was bedtime. We got interrupted 3 times, but no booms this time. We all got four hours of good sleep.
Day 11: 3/5/2026 Pesach at the beach
The day started slow. I woke up to peace – which is something I will never again take for granted.
You really don’t know what it’s like. I think some of the folks in tornado alley in the US understand a little, but even that is not the same, because there is plenty of warning for bad weather, and when it’s over, it’s over. There is very little warning for missiles, and there is always another coming. When our phones go off, it’s an advance warning that launches have been detected. Depending on where they come from, Iran or Lebanon, we might have ten minutes – we might have a few minutes. Then the alarms go off on our phones – and the air alarms in the city. By then, most of us are out of our rooms and thumping down the stairs. We crowd into the shelter and close the door, and wait. Sometimes we chatter, but at four in the morning, we just read our phones and pray quietly. Sometimes we hear a boom as the Hand of Yah (my name for the Iron Dome) takes out a missile or drone, sometimes nothing at all happens, and then we get up and go back to doing whatever we were doing – sleeping, jogging, going to work. The people here are accustomed to this, and strangely, we are also becoming somewhat casual about it.
But this morning was peace. I wandered down in my jammies and grabbed coffee and spent a little time with my new friend, Sir Richard. We ate breakfast, and as the afternoon approached, a large number of us headed down to the beach.
There we were, enjoying the sun, and suddenly the alarms went off again. We sheltered in the rocks of the jetty, but for the first time I could clearly see the Hand of Yah in action! We watched two launches – the first one headed north in a hurry. We didn’t any hear any booms from that one. The second one launched to our right, and that one hit something out there. We heard several booms, but eventually we found out that nothing was hit. The Hand of Yah protected benei Yisrael (the children of Israel) yet again.
I just want to note that nobody on the beach responded except for us. The young couple did not stop canoodling, the joggers never stopped jogging, the dog walkers kept right on walking. In Israel, people just keep right on living while the Hand of Yah swats down missile after missile.
We came back to the hotel for some leftovers and conversation and to join the Passover Zoom for the people back home.
In the next few days, we will confirm the state of the Barley, find a place that is open for Joe to mikvah (baptize) himself, and complete the cutting of the barley ceremony. We also have Sabbath tomorrow evening, and then Sunday, we are moving to Jerusalem!
Only nine more days remain of my trip here. I have no idea if flights will resume and make it possible for me to get home. I have no idea if there will be problems getting over borders or making my way to another country to fly out. There’s a lot of uncertainty in our midst, but I am still not afraid. I’ve been nervous, anxious, and alarmed at times, but I have yet to be afraid.
We always covet your prayers. Please shower us with your prayers, and pray for the whole country of Israel, and the IDF and US troops that are fighting to make freedom possible for even more people. Thank you for your outpouring of love and your caring kindness. Shalom to you all! May peace be upon you, upon the US, and upon all Israel.
Rose Treasure's Third week
Rose Treasure’s Third week
If you’d like to follow along on this Barley Search Journey, Rose is keeping a daily journal on her blog. She will share as regularly as she can, giving her own personal perspective of the events.
Barley Search 2026 https://share.google/
Sunday, March 8, 2026
Day 12 – Living water and Shabbat Shalom
Day 12: Living Water and Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat (Saturday) has long been my very favorite day of the week. It’s the one day of the week when I feel I am allowed to truly relax. Most Sabbaths I spend sitting in front of my computer and lazily mosying around my garden. But when Joe suggested a mikvah (cleansing) for this Shabbat, I was totally game. Let me back up and start with Friday, the 6th of March before leaping ahead to Saturday. We knew we wanted to get a few things accomplished, but the most important thing was making sure the barley was Aviv (Ripe) before our wave sheaf ceremony on Saturday night.
We split up for this trip – Karen and Johan, Shawna and myself piled into the SUV with Joe. We headed south first, stopping in several places to check the barley. At the first location, near Mishan, we stopped and did some videos. While we were standing by the roadside, several farm trucks passed. One of them stopped unexpectedly and the driver passed 8 beautiful mandarins out the window. Honestly, they were so fresh and sweet that they are by far the most delicious mandarins I’ve ever eaten. That was a good thing because there would be no time for lunch this day!!
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| A pool through the trees |
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| Down to the Valley |
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| Friends among the bombs |
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Day 13 & 14 – Mikvah – Bethlehem – Jerusalem
Days 13 & 14: Mikvah – Bethlehem – Jerusalem
March 8-9, 2026
Total miles traveled to date: 9,112
Steps taken past two days: 29,795
Steps taken to date: 118,833
Details: Tel Aviv to Ancient Bethlehem to JTowers in Jerusalem
Total Miles Driven past two days: 72
There has been so much happening that it’s been hard to keep up. I offer my double portion for my neglect. Let’s jump right in!!
Sunday we were moving to Jerusalem, which was meant to be harder than it was. We enjoyed a bomb free night, and the sleep was so sweet! I will never again take for granted my peaceful little city and my soft, peaceful bed.
We started with some coffee. The last coffee from the self-serve espresso machine. I will miss you, dear coffee machine. After cramming everything back into my suitcase in a haphazard kind of way, we gathered in the conference room to discuss plans.
At this point we split up. Some went shopping and visited the sites of Tel Aviv. Joe, Shawna and I went to Jerusalem. Our goal was a site that Joe had been told about by a friend. His friend had sent him a map of sorts – spots circled on a satellite view. We knew the neighborhood it was in – the same area where we dropped off the jars two days before.
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| An ancient well |
This time, we parked and walked down around the apartment building, then back up to a rocky area. Here we found what looked to be an old well. This was neat, but not what we were there for. Across the way we saw a group of boys and a couple of men going around a trail and up over a wall, and we decided based on our map, this was the place to go.
Scrambling behind Joe who walks like he drives – fast – we came to the group of boys and some sort of obvious ruin. The man and the boys did not speak English well, but one of the boys asked us if we liked Trump, to which we said yes, of course. He smiled and said, “Biden, no.” Then the man told Joe something amazing – that we were at Bet-lehem. Bethlehem!!
Most of the modern sites one sees in Israel are not the original sites. The modern city of Bethlehem is not what I am discussing here. Constantine’s mother, Helena, after converting to Christianity, came to the region and did the best job she could finding these places. However, YHVH protects things, and he protected this. The locals know what it is and there have been some archeological digs here, but I will be keeping the site a secret for now.
We started up into the ruin, and guess what was right there at the gate! This flower is called the “Star of Bethlehem.” There it was, right at our “gate” into Bethlehem.
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| Star of Bethlehem!! |
What we saw there was rocks and a broken down walls, and a mosaic floor. Clearly we were looking at the walls of a building, and basement rooms. There was a thorny tree growing out of the basement of the building, and a set of stairs. Joe and I made our way down the very narrow stairs, and explored a little, but we didn’t want to be too intrusive. We walked around the space some more – found some cistern openings, and other walls and objects.
There was an old wall there, and the three of us walked down it and around. That would have been fine if it didn’t require billy goat style traversing around the wall. I’m not so fond of heights. Eventually, we wandered back up the other side, and found a very large cave. At this time we only had a vague idea of what we were looking at, but we thought we were at the ancient site of the Migdol Eder – the strong tower.
One of our goals here was to find hyssop. We searched high and low. Several times we looked at plants we thought were hyssop, but Google was leading me astray! Eventually, Shawna did find it and we can now easily identify it. I wish I could share the smell of it with you! It smells like a cross between oregano and anise. We are needing the hyssop to complete our purification ceremony. As we climbed up away from the large cave, we started across the top of the hill and found loads of hyssop! We gathered up lots of hyssop at the top of the fence, and then made our way back to the car and across Israel to our AirBnB – a rather large apartment building right on Jaffa St.
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Hyssop (pic borrowed from the internet)
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That evening, I eavesdropped on a call from Joe’s friend again as he talked about what it was that we saw that day. According to him, this was indeed Ancient Bethlehem Ephraita. The well in the photo above is a 3000 year old well! We learned this was the place where they raised and prepared the sacrificial lambs, along with the other products needed for the Temple. This place was called Migdol Eder, and this is where young David would have grown up and where he would have raised the sheep for the temple, and where it is mentioned he would have gone back to before returning to fight Goliath. It’s also the REAL place where Yeshua, our Messiah, would have been born! I believe I put my head into the very place where the Messiah would have laid!! We were so excited with the day’s events, and headed back to the hotel.
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| The birthplace of Messiah?? |
The apartment is an ok place to work out of. Primarily we are hoping to sleep and sometimes eat here, so we are not worried about too much comfort. I am sleeping in a room with four bunk beds, which makes hanging out at the room less than important. We got settled, then Joe walked us down Jaffa for a yummy pasta dinner.
Jerusalem is always a fun place to visit. The diversity of the people, the history everywhere, and the pace of life is fun to watch. I will miss the hotel for the coffee, the daily room cleaning,and the convenience of the staff and life, but my view there was a wall and this is my view here now!
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| Good morning, Jerusalem! – my view |
Monday we went to Ein Lavan again first thing in the morning and we did our second mikvah. I can tell you that this water is COLD. So cold. We also were sprinkled with the red heifer ashes water and Joe said a prayer over each of us. I got a headache – like an ice headache, and later in the day it turned into a full migraine, but more on that in a moment.
We walked down to the Old City together, stopping at a place for nachos that took way too long, but I needed the food. While we dined, several hungry cats came around to keep us company! Thanks to Shawna and Anne. They arranged to go to a store and get the cats some meat, which the cats obviously appreciated. In the old city, most of what we would want to visit together was closed for the war. We couldn’t even get to the overlook looking down on the western wall. We did a little shopping, then came back to the rooms to prepare for our dinner date.
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| Our cat lunch companions |
We had dinner with Yehuda Glick and his lovely wife Haded at a restaurant called Ofra. Honestly, I felt so terrible I could barely eat anything, which seemed rather strange to everyone, but I got through it. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! Haded was wonderful, and had so many great things to teach us. Yehuda is fun to be with and was really excited we were here.
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Yehuda & Haded Glick – photo by Johan Dinner with the Glicks – Video by Shane |
That night, I was so glad to be in bed!! Most of this trip I have felt fine and I didn’t want to have a migraine, but what can you do? Two people told me to drink more water, so I have been doing that. Otherwise, I’m getting through it. I’m grateful for my medication, which makes it less miserable.
Tuesday is Ancient Susiya, and the next day is another trip to Bethlehem to take the whole team. I will be sure to share more!
Shalom from Jerusalem!!
Monday, March 16, 2026
Day 15-16 the Dead Sea – Ancient Synagogues – and back to Bethlehem
Day 15-16 the Dead Sea – Ancient Susya – back to Bethlehem
March 10-11, 2026 – Tuesday & Wednesday
Total miles traveled to date: 9,319
Steps taken past two days: 20,413
Steps taken to date: 128,591
Details: JTowers Jerusalem to Dead Sea to Susya to Jerusalem
Total Miles Driven past two days: 207
Shalom from Jerusalem!
I am combining these two days again due to the fact that we have spent so much time in motion, it’s hard to make time to write!!
This Wednesday we had an appointment to visit Ancient Susya – a town where Israelites lived in the south of the country, near Arad. This was arranged by Anita for us, we were meant to be there at 9, so we were up early to leave at 7. For the record, Shawna and I arrived downstairs at the cars and precisely 6:59. If you want to learn more about ancient Susya – take a look at it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susya
A decision was made in our car that we would like to drive by the Dead Sea. I want to apologize to our group, because I know this made us late. I am a punctual person, but with everything closed as it is, I knew that I was not going to be able to have another chance to see the Dead Sea on this trip, so I went along with the plan.
There is so much strange, stark beauty in this land! The Dead Sea moves and flows like a regular sea, but there’s nothing alive in there, of course. We made our way back down past Jericho, then around to the sea. The views are amazing! We passed by Masada, which is closed for the wars, and around past many other amazing things that we didn’t get out and look at. We traveled past ancient Sodom and Gomorrah, which are now just heaps of ashes. We marveled that you can see the square shapes of buildings, and even something that could be a sphinx. We did not get to go out and find any sulfur balls, more’s the pity. This was on my bucket list, but since we were already inconveniencing our friends, we decided to snap car pictures and move on.
We saw many camels loping about in their awkward way, and the desert is already turning brown. After a passport check, we arrived at Ancient Susya. What is this place? This is a place where, during the revolt, many of the Cohens and other Jewish people fled Jerusalem and settled here. They had underground rooms and dwellings, tunnels and cisterns, and eventually they built above ground. The location is very stunning. There are birds everywhere – and so many different kinds of flowers. This is one of the things that has surprised me about spring in Israel. There are so many flowers!!
At this location is also the site of an ancient synagogue and has been excavated. This is a beautiful thing. There are several mosaics mostly intact, and one of them has the name “Yeshua” (Jesus) right there in the mosaic. Were these Messianic Jews?! The archeologists at this location seem to think so. There are several wonderful presentations here – a place for music, a place for drums, and a place for water. The cistern was impressive. It was deep, full, and the water was cold.
We eventually went to another location where Robert and Marcelyn, Anita’s friends, joined us for lunch at their friend’s house. She has converted a barn into a restaurant called Ronel Cafe, and we had a lovely lunch of Shatsuka and salad and many sides, including a little tuna salad. This was one of the most wonderful meals I have had! I have not been able to have many eggs while I have been here, and eggs are my staple back home, so this was so enjoyable to me.
We also listened to the wonderful stories she told about moving to this place. My favorite was about her lemon tree. I’ll try to tell it here, but I’m not great at telling other people’s stories. When they moved in, her and her husband planted a lemon tree because she believes every home should have a lemon tree. They did everything right for this lemon tree, and even after the required three years passed, there was no fruit. She spoke with the rabbi and he told her to say to the tree that it’s purpose was to give fruit, and if it wasn’t giving fruit then she was going to uproot it. That spring, the tree bloomed and continues to bloom year round! This tree always has at least one lemon on it at all times no matter the season.
I am a person who talks to my plants and animals all the time. When I first came here, my friends poked a little fun at me about telling the flies to vacate the car and advising the beetles to watch for the humans and ordering the birds to be silent. I murmur to the trees and praise the flowers. To have this lovely, grounded lady admit that she, too, talks to her trees is so gratifying. I don’t think anyone has picked on me since!!
We made our way back to the apartment, and Shawna and I were able to get a little bit of groceries before our final day of unleavened bread, which is a Shabbat. We joined our friends for the leftovers from our dinner with the Glicks, and we were able to watch an interception over eastern Jerusalem.
Understand, just because the missile or drone was intercepted, there is still debris that falls, landing on houses and cars. Some of these are “cluster” bombs, that when broken open, they fall to the ground individually, and explode on impact. Understand, this is happening over a large, highly populated city – not military or strategic targets. Please pray for the people of Israel and pray for the Hand of Yah that protects them all.
The next day we returned to ancient Bethlehem Ephraita, the site of the Migdol Eder. This time we knew what we were looking at. The Star of Bethlehem was there, along with many more of them this time. In all of Israel, this was the only place any of us saw this flower.
We each took a turn down in the birthplace, and then we sat and read the story of the birth and the rest of the Exodus story out loud. Then we made our way back to our cars.
On the way back to the cars, we saw this wonderful statue! The statue is of barley, which of course is why we came to Israel to begin with! This little “square” is in a roundabout very near the Migdol Eder site.
That evening almost all of us took a nap and laid around the apartments. We ate leavened bread for the first time in a week, and had some pizza. It was lovely!
Tomorrow we head up to HaYovel to take a short tour, and then we will prepare to leave Israel.
As always, thank you so much for reading!
Monday, March 16, 2026
Day 16 & 17 – HaYovel – My Promise – Purity Ceremony – Jordan
Day 16 & 17 – HaYovel – My Promise – Purity Ceremony – Jordan
March 12-13, 2026 Thursday & Friday
Total miles traveled to date: 9,625
Steps taken past two days: 27,462
Steps taken to date: 156,053
Details: JTowers to HaYovel – Ein Lavan to Bet Shean border crossing to Amman Jordan
Total Miles Driven past two days: 306
I just wanted to share a little video about our experience in Jerusalem, and how we started almost every day. Turns out we are right next to a construction site where they are converting a building to luxury apartments. Every morning around 7 am, this starts:
Thursday, we went to HaYovel, a wonderful organization that supports farmers and creates an environment for others to visit Israel and work the land. They started based on the premise of Isaiah 61, which says that the stranger (foreigner) will come to work the vines and trees in Israel. Volunteers come from around the world and visit their vineyard in Samaria and work the land while they tour. You can find out more about them, and contribute or sign up, here: https://serveisrael.com/
This was a wonderful experience. We were able to meet Tommy and Sherry, and several of their adult children. We toured their facilities, including their new visitor center, still under construction. We enjoyed a lovely lunch under the trees, and then settled ourselves into the gathering room to enjoy coffee and a discussion about the miracles that are happening right there in the land. We also saw huge chunks of shrapnel that have fallen around their farms.
This is also the place where The Israel Guys record their podcast. I was delighted to find out that The Land of Israel guys were also there doing an interview! Israel Guys Podcast I was pleased to meet Ari Abramowitz some years ago when he came to talk in Salem. I also follow their posts and podcasts, and I was hoping our team would get to meet them both, and we did! Find out more about what they do here: The Land of Israel Network.
Iran and Lebanon lob their bombs at the cities and population centers. They do not necessarily aim for strategic targets, but instead deliberately aim for families and civilians. The bombs are shot down most of the time out in the wilderness, over places like HaYovel. Because of that, the danger there is not explosions, but falling debris. They have not experienced a single injury – but they do collect up the pieces and have them on display, one of which was a huge tank which fell almost totally intact.
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| One small piece of shrapnel |
We made our way back to the city, and we each did our own thing. In my case – I kept the promise. I CUT MY HAIR!! It feels so amazing. I know I overpaid for the haircut, and it’s only an OK haircut, but it looks better than if I had done it myself. I love how fun and curly it is, and I feel like I lost weight! Shawna came with me for moral support and pictures, for which I was grateful. After, I bought here dinner again at our favorite pasta place – this time with bread!!
During this time, our flights were being rearranged. We had decided to travel out of Amman, Jordan, as our other flights were cancelled, and I will eventually need to get home. More on that to come. I want to say a huge thanks to Mitzi, who not only helped us rearrange our flights and find accommodations, but she also made all the arrangements, tolerated a minor tantrum on my part, and simplified the process for each of us. We are mostly flying out at the same time, and arriving in Chicago together, and then we will divide up to our individual destinations. I will be getting home much later than I anticipated, and that’s frustrating, but I will still be home, which I am grateful.
Friday morning dawned early. Joe wanted us to be able to Mikvah and complete the modified red heifer ceremony this morning before we got on the bus. There’s a lot we cannot do perfectly in this ceremony – there are no Aaronic priests here, and no temple, and no official mikvah. We are using the beautiful Ein Lavan spring, which is shockingly cold, and we are doing it in faith and obedience in the hopes Yehovah will honor our willingness to obey.
I have no photos. It seemed like a private moment – one that didn’t need pictures. I dipped, and then Joe sprinkled me and made me realize something. He pointed out that I had cut my hair the day before as if I was letting of the past, that it’s symbolic, and he blessed me with a prayer for healing of my grief. I can’t say I felt an immediate burden lift – but I definitely felt blessed in that moment. Then I dipped again.
As soon as my spine touched the water, another migraine started. Migraines are one of the things I hope to be healed from, but apparently today was not the day. I went back to the apartment for a quick nap, but it was time to load the bus to Amman. This was by far the most torturous bus ride I have ever taken. As we reached the crossing into Jordan, Anita worked a miracle. She brought me some oils and some lotion, and literally nursed me with them essential oil. I don’t know the name of it but it almost immediately made me feel better! Thank you so much, Anita!!
The journey to Amman was eye-opening. This is a country I’ve never visited. Getting across the border was a process. We had to buy a ticket across, and then go through passport control, then board a bus that took us about half a mile. Then we had to pay an entry fee, and more passport control, then get our Visas. Then in chaos and craziness, we boarded the charter bus, and started toward Amman.
I had no idea how high we would climb to reach the airport. It took over 2 hours, winding down main highways that would be considered side roads in Oregon. The area is utterly beautiful! I know that pictures from a moving vehicle are hardly ever good pictures, but I hope you enjoy them anyway.
Tomorrow we board our planes back to America. We are coming into Chicago, and the weather doesn’t seem great. We covet your prayers for getting home.
I am going to make one more appeal for assistance. I had my budget for this trip well planned, and tried to stay within it, but these extra flights and other expenses has pretty much blown that up. I could use your help, friends. Some of you have already blessed me, and I thank you so much, and I pray over each of you that Yehovah blesses those who bless the widow.
Below is the information to my Venmo, Cashapp, and Paypal. You can also reach out to me on Facebook Messenger. If you feel lead in your heart, I appeal to you to give. Thank you!
Venmo: @Rose-Treasure
Cashapp: $RoseTreasure42
Paypal: rose.treasure@outlook.com
I will post one more blog – about my adventures getting home from Jordan and about the flora and fauna of Israel – which I enjoyed so much!
Thank you so much for reading, my friends! I have been so blessed to write this. Shalom from Jordan!
Joes Strong Rebuke of Takanot
Yoel Halevi has just come out today and stated the following. We are old friends and I consider him a friend even if we do not agree. This does not mean I hate him. Only immature people do that. I had tried to connect with Yoel many times before I left Israel to do an interview and discuss these things and our differences but it just did not work out. Here is what Yoel stated.
The following is being posted only because I have been asked by multiple people about Aviv reports posted by others.
It is important to begin by stating that Joseph Dumond is an old friend whom I have known for many years and am in very good standing with and care for dearly. However, friendship sometimes requires difficult statements which this is one of them. This analysis is provided not as an attack on him or his character, but rather as a formal “academic” discussion intended to highlight specific technical and biblical problems within his 2026 Aviv report. The goal is to address the underlying methodology to ensure that the calendar remains consistent with both the agricultural realities of the Land of Israel and the requirements of the Torah.
The central issue with Joseph’s finding is that it actually confirms why the previous month could not have been the first month known as Aviv. By showing that the barley was in the state of Aviv on March 8, 2026—nearly three weeks after the February New Moon—he inadvertently proves that the barley was not ready when the year was supposed to begin. For a month to be biblically sanctified as the Month of the Aviv, the barley must be found in the required state of ripeness as close as possible to the sighting of the New Moon (it might be possible that a couple of days later is acceptable). Reporting that the grain finally reached Aviv mid-month creates a procedural impossibility; one cannot retroactively declare a month to be the first of the year based on development that occurred nineteen days after the month started.
In this regard, it must be stated that Joseph is following the old Karaite model, which I have rejected due tospecific problems—a subject I will address in an upcoming article. This model fails to account for the necessary seasonal alignment, as following the February New Moon in 2026 places the Passover at the end of Winter. With the Spring Equinox occurring on March 20, the biblical mandate for the “Month of the Aviv” is violated, as it is inextricably linked to the season of Spring. Part of the new model requires that barley is advanced enough to ensure Passover falls after the equinox (as based on the new model I am working with). If not found, an intercalary month—Adar II (not counted in antiquity as 13 but as a lengthening of the 12th month)—is added to push the New Year into Spring. By bypassing this, Joseph’s timeline forces the feast into a winter setting, contradicting the required seasonal alignment.
This leads to a significant discrepancy regarding the biological progression of the grain and the distinction between Aviv and Katzir. Joseph argues that Aviv refers to a stage of growth that is separate from and occurs well before the actual harvest. However, the Torah requires the Wave Sheaf, or Omer, to be brought from the firstfruits of the actual harvest (Katzir) during the week of Passover. If the barley was also in the “Aviv” stage on March 8, it is biologically impossible for that same grain to reach a hardened, harvestable state by the middle of that month. By claiming that the Month of the Aviv can begin 3–4 weeks before the grain is harvest-ready, the model creates a scenario where the commanded Firstfruits offering cannot physically be performed because there is no ripe grain to harvest.
Ultimately, these findings often rely on wild or volunteer barley found in isolated, warm micro-climates like the Jordan Valley. This method, which we have used for years, has been challenged by myself and others which has led to open discourse over the Karaite methodology from the 15th century which did not take into consideration the reality of the rest of the land. This issue has led me to question if this is even a method and not just attempts to find the earliest aviv regardless of reality. This problem does not reflect the general state of the crops throughout the land. A national calendar must be based on a harvest that is viable for the entire nation.
So Yoel has just stated he is basing his findings on the equinox as well which is why he does what he does. He has also correctly stated that I am using the method the Kariates used in the middle ages. I am looking for the first fruits of Barley no matter when the equinox is. I have also shown my readers that we have over 12 tombstones from Zoar (Yoel helped to translate some of them) which confirm that before the Hillel calendar came into being, the Jews in this place kept Passover before the equinox. Some using the barley and crescent moon to determine the Holy Days and others using the Hillel calendar which at first was not using the equinox. So I have history and artefacts to back me up.
Then Yoel also announced the following and how he is not going to search for the barley due to the extreme risk and he is very correct in stating this. Which is why I am so angry at many of you for dismissing how we did risk much to bring this information to you from all over Israel. We searched many fields all over Israel and not just one or two.
Formal Announcement: 2026 Aviv Search
It is with regret that I announce I will not be inspecting the fields for the Aviv search this year.
The current situation in the region remains significantly volatile, presenting a substantial risk of harm to those traveling in open or rural areas. Following an assessment of the security environment, it has been determined that the danger inherent in conducting a physical search at this time is too great to justify the journey.
The preservation of life remains the primary consideration in this decision. While the physical observation of the barley is a critical component of the calendar determination, the present instability necessitates remaining in protected environments.
Yoel
Update:
After posting this, my colleague, who is currently trying to get back to Israel, contacted me. He will be trying to get back and do the search without me. If he does, we will have a report which I will sign off on without being physically in the field.
Yoel contacted me just before I was to leave Israel. I responded and tried numerous times to have an interview with him about the barley. We are friends from a long time ago and although we do not agree, it would be good for friends to discuss this and help the brethren to see that we can talk and not hate each other. Something Yoel wanted to do. But even while I was stuck in Jordan for a day we could still not reach a time we could speak with each other.
Becca Biderman has come out a few times to attack me directly. It is very disappointing. Instead of searching for and just showing the barley in various stages she has chosen the adversarial road. When she could not attack the 14 other witnesses this year who all testified the fields in Mashen and Check Point Charlie as well as Tel Gamma and Reim, and then Shilo and Megiddo were all firm dough and or shatering, Becca did something new. She dismissed the whole field as not suitable. She dismissed Mashen and then she dismissed Check Point Charlie. A field she has used in other years as suitable for determining the barley. But then she goes five minutes up the road to Tel Teomim and states the barley there is Aviv and shattering. The very same condition as Check Point Charlie and then declares next month or Wave Sheaf day in three weeks time as the month of Aviv.
In three weeks time this barley will be shattered and on the ground and not be able to harvest. You are to harvest the barley on Wave Sheaf Day and not a day before. You are to begin the counting of the Omer as Deut 16:9 states from the day you put the sickle to the grain on Wave Sheaf Day. We even showed you how Cain made his offering from the end of the season and not from the first fruits.
This month that ends on this Sabbath is the month of Aviv, the month of Green ears. Next month as the natives have shown us in our videos will be the month of brown as everything dies off.
Last year we showed you how the other reports confirmed our own timing of the month of Aviv. And we did so with the barley the wheat and the grapes. With these confirmations we knew when the 12th month ended and the first month began and we warned our readers to keep Passover on March 5, 2026 and that if the barley was not ready we would let them know ASAP. It was ready.
On my last day in Israel Sunday March 15, 2026, after I dropped Johan and Karen off at the Allenby Bridge crossing over into Jordan I had to return the car to the airport before I could leave. So I took a drive up the Jordan valley to again check some of those locations Becca had now dismissed because of her Takanot, her additions she is using to dismiss any field that is now shattering. But this time I show you her takanot, too close to the road and to close to hydro wires or too close to the building and I go across the road far from the road wires and buildings and show you how the barley there is in the exact same state as that which she has dismissed. Watch the video and you judge. How much different is the barley by the roadside from the barley in the field far from the road.
Stop being misled!
Norman Willis wrote me to let me know that because of our video testimonies he has advised his followers that the first month is now past and the second one is about to begin. They may have missed Passover, but they would rather obey Yehovah and keep His Holy Days at the proper time. They were influenced by those who manipulate the information and do not show you the first fruits, but only those fruits of barley that confirm their timing. You can do that by standing in green sections and not show those sections shattering.
May Yehovah bless Nazarene Israel for taking such a bold move to follow Yehovah.
Here is the video Norman released a couple days ago.
Exo 12:2 This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you.
Exo 13:4 You are going out this day in the month Abib.
Exo 23:15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. You shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, in the time appointed of the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And no one shall appear before Me empty.
Exo 34:18 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. You shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, in the time of the month Abib. For in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.
Those are the verses telling you about the month of Aviv. It is the first month of the year and once you know it then and only then can you count to each of the Holy Days.
We also have some more information.
Exo 9:28 Pray to Jehovah, for it is enough. Let there be no mighty thunderings and hail. And I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.
Exo 9:29 And Moses said to him, as soon as I go out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands to Jehovah. The thunder shall stop, and the hail will not be any more, so that you may know that the earth is Jehovah’s.
Exo 9:30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear Jehovah God.
Exo 9:31 And the flax and the barley were stricken, for the barley was in the head, and the flax was in bud.
Exo 9:32 But the wheat and the rye were not stricken, for they had not grown up.
Once the barley begins to flower and build up the dough in the head, if it is hit by hail, it is big enough to be destroyed. We also had multiple reports of flax being found and photgraphed on Natural Israel but it was not until we went to the City of Two Gates in the Elah Valley, on March 3, 2026, that we found flax. And it was Shawna who first found it and after that we began to see it everywhere.
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