The Shofar Newsletter
THE SHOFAR Newsletter of Bet Yeshurun Messianic Assembly
Good News for the Assembly of Bet Yeshurun
No. 1802 / May 30, 2026
2026 Gatherings (services start promptly at 3:00 pm; doors open an hour earlier. )
5/30 Praise & Worship
6/1 Sabbath
6/2 * Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) **
6/6 Praise & Worship
6/8 Sabbath
6/13 Praise & Worship
6/15 Sabbath
6/18 Yom Peguim (Leap Day services for the summer season)
6/19 * Chodesh (Celebrating the 4th month of the Divine Year)
6/20 Praise & Worship
6/22 Sabbath
6/27 Praise & Worship
6/29 Sabbath
* A Holy Day like Sabbaths (a day of no work)
** See Announcement for time and location
2026 Schedule for Reading the Bible in One-Year
Nevi’im; Melakim 1 (Sovereigns) First Book of Kings
5/31 - Chapters 1– 4 6/1 - Chapters 5 – 8 6/2 - Chapters 9– 12
6/3 - Chapter 13 – 16 6/4 - Chapters 17 – 20 6/5 - Chapters 21 – 22
Nevi’im; Melakim 2 (Sovereigns) Second Book of Kings
6/6 - Chapters 1 – 4 6/7 - Chapters 5 – 8 6/8 - Chapters 9 – 12
6/9 - Chapters 13 – 16 6/10 - Chapters 17 – 20 6/11 - Chapters 21 – 25
Nevi’im; Yeshayahu (Salvation of Yah) Prophecy of Isaiah
6/12 - Chapters 1 – 4 6/13 - Chapters 5 – 8 6/14 - Chapters 9 – 12
6/15 - Chapters 13 – 17 6/16 - Chapters 18 – 22 6/17 - Chapters 23 – 27
6/18 - Chapters 28 – 31 6/19 - Chapters 32 – 36 6/20 - Chapters 37 – 40
6/21 - Chapters 41 – 45 6/22 - Chapters 46 – 50 6/23 - Chapters 51 – 55
6/24 - Chapters 56 – 60 6/25 - Chapters 61 – 66
Nevi’im; Yirmeyahu (Exultation of Yah) Prophecy of Jeremiah
6/26 - Chapters 1 – 4 6/27 - Chapters 5 – 8 6/28 - Chapters 9 – 12
6/29 - Chapters 13 – 16 6/30 - Chapters 17 – 20 7/1 - Chapters 21 – 24
7/2 - Chapters 25 – 28 7/3 - Chapters 29 – 32 7/4 - Chapters 33 – 36
7/5 - Chapters 37 – 40 7/6 - Chapters 41 – 44 7/7 - Chapters 45 – 48
Interested in joining Bet Yeshurun Assembly? Please contact Pastor ObadiYah by email, telephone, mail, or in person at a gathering of Yahushuah’s Body.
Feast of Weeks
(Exodus 34:22; KJV) Thou shalt observe the Feast of Weeks of the FirstFruits of wheat harvest and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end.
In a few days, Bet Yeshurun Assembly (BYA) will observe its Feast of Weeks. (See Announcement) Also known as Shavuot, it is a Holy Day for YAHUAH Elohim’s Family: (Numbers 28:26) In the day of the FirstFruits, when you bring a new meat (grain) offering to YAHUAH, after your weeks are out, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no servile work.
Transliterated Shavuot from שָׁבוּעַ (H7620; šāḇûaʿ), that’s weeks in Hebrew and means “sevened, i.e. a week.” (Strong’s Concordance) Its date is determined by counting 7-weeks, plus one-day (50-days) from BYA’s FirstFruits offering: (Leviticus 23:15-16) Count from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete. Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall you number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meat (cereal) offering to YAHUAH.
This article examines other physical attributes of that Feast in Scripture as well as its spiritual aspects, which BYA celebrates with friends and family! (Deut. 16:9-11) Seven weeks shall thou number. . .keep the Feast of Weeks unto YAHUAH Elohim with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shall give, according as YAHUAH Elohim hath blessed thee. Thou shall rejoice before YAHUAH Elohim, thou, thy son and daughter, thy manservant and maidservant, the Levite within thy gates, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which YAHUAH Elohim has chosen to place his name there. (Psalm 66:4) All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee. They shall sing to Thy Name. Selah!
Ancient Israel celebrated its harvest blessings at four festivals. In early spring, it was for a barley harvest. In late spring, it was for a wheat harvest. In early summer, it was for a grape harvest and in late summer, it was for an olive harvest. The harvests sustained the physical and spiritual lives of the Israelites, for which they expressed thanks to Elohim with prayers, songs of praise and worship at Feasts of Harvest, like Shavuot: (Exodus 23:15-16) You shalt keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread: (eat unleavened bread seven days as commanded in the appointed time of Abib; for in it you camest out from Egypt and none shall appear before Me empty.) And the Feast of Harvest, the FirstFruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field.
At our upcoming Shavuot, BYA will express its thanks to Elohim by waving two (2) loaves of wheat bread. These symbolize our renewed Life through obedience to YAHUAH: (Leviticus 23:17) Bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals. They shall be of fine flour, baked with leaven. They are FirstFruits to YAHUAH.
The annual offering of wheat (bread) foreshadows the harvest of human souls from the time of Messiah’s resurrection until His second coming. Those gathered into Yahushuah’s Kingdom are likened in this parable to wheat kernels harvested from a field that had weeds sown among it: (Matthew 13:24-30) The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. When the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So, the servants of the householder came and said to him, “Sir, did not you sow good seed in your field? From where then has it tares?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this!” The servants said to him, “Will you then that we go and gather them up?” But he said, “Nay! Lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. In the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 'Gather together first the tares. Bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
While wheat seeds can germinate into new plants or get crushed into bread, the Messiah explains how both uses can represent Disciples (Students of the Word), who follow Yah’s Way of Life to produce more spiritual fruit onto eternal life: (John 12:23-26) Verily, verily, I say, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life shall lose it and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serves me, him will my Father honor.
BYA’s Feast of Weeks is a joyous time as it commemorates a harvest of spiritually set-apart people that diligently obey YAHUAH’s commandments: (Exodus 19:1-8) In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. . . .Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which YAHUAH commanded him. All the people answered together, “All YAHUAH hath spoken we will do.”
The Feast (Chag) of Shavuot also commemorates Israel’s deliverance from bondage in ancient Egypt (world’s most powerful nation at the time). Certainly, an event worthy of celebrating! (Psalm 66:5-6) Come and see the works of Elohim. Terrible doing toward the children of men. He turned the sea into dry land. They went through the flood on foot. There did we rejoice in him.
After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites arrived at YAH’s Holy Place to receive Torah from Moses. (Exodus 19-24) Their acceptance (“we will do!”) symbolizes a Bride (the Church) becoming betrothed to Yahushuah. Awaiting His return, BYA can be likened to the Bridesmaids of this Parable. Selah! (Matthew 25:1-10) The Kingdom of Heaven shall be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps and no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. At midnight, was a cry, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh! Go out to meet him!” Then all those virgins arose, trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said to the wise, “Give us of your oil for our lamps are gone out.” The wise answered, “Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you. Go rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves.” While they went to buy, the bridegroom came. They that were ready went with him to the marriage and the door was shut. Afterward came the other virgins, saying, “Adonai, Adonai, open to us!” But he answered, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not!” Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.
May we choose the wise path of the Father’s Plan of Salvation! Our life-saving relationship comes through following the Living Torah’s instructions in righteousness. Yes! BYA gathers for Shavuot to hear the Word! (Matthew 4:4) It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Elohim.”
That’s a good spiritual reason for celebrating this Feast. Thus, BYA happily gathers as our collective and individual temples are reconstructed: (James 1:17-18) Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His Own Will begat He us with the Word of Truth that we be a kind of FirstFruits of his creatures.
Although Shavuot is a great time to meet with Elohim, many out of ignorance, apathy or rebellion disregard such Appointed Times (Moedim). Some wrongly think it is a Jewish festival. No! It’s YAHUAH’s Feast! (Leviticus 23:1–2) YAHUAH spoke to Moses, “Speak to the children of Israel. Say to them concerning the Feasts of YAHUAH that you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My Feasts.”
The message foreshadowed at Mt. Sinai extends beyond the Feast of Weeks. In obeying the Father’s Will and Way of Life, we confirm our relationship with Yah and accept His wondrous redemption. BYA also offers its physical FirstFruits to YAH that we may also feed our spiritual FirstFruits to others in need: (Galatians 5:22-23) The fruit of the Spirit (ha’Ruach) is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no Law.
Reflecting upon Elohim’s mighty act of splitting the sea for Israel’s exodus and the drying of a river for YAH’s Family to enter their Promised Land, brings a parallel to mind regarding the Reed Sea, the Jordan River and modern-day America. Selah! (Luke 10:1-2) After these things the Adonai appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself would come. Therefore, He said, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers few. Pray ye therefore that the Adonai of the Harvest send forth labourers into His Harvest.” (John 4:35) Say not, “There are yet four months and then cometh harvest?” Behold, I say, “Lift your eyes! Look on the fields for they are white already to harvest!”
At Shavuot, BYA takes a step toward serving as laborers in Yah’s Harvest. May we pray it to be so: (Psalm 67:1-7) Elohim be merciful unto us and bless us; and cause His face to shine on us; Selah. That Thy Way may be known on earth, Thy saving health among all nations. Let the people (BYA) praise thee, O’ Elohim! Let all BYA praise thee. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy for Thou shalt judge BYA righteously and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let BYA praise thee, O’ Elohim; let all BYA praise Thee. Then, shall the earth yield her increase; and Elohim, our own Elohim, shall bless us. Elohim shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Today’s journey through life and YAH’s purifying process are challenging. Yet, rest assured Elohim hears our prayers for help and mercifully helps us to stay on the Path! (Psalm 66:18-20) If I regard iniquity in my heart, Adonai will not hear me, but verily Elohim hath heard me. He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be Elohim, who hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me. Shalom, Elder Curt
Announcements
2026 Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)InMarshbank Park - Oak Ridge Shelter (2805 Hiller Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48324) on Tuesday, June 2 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. BYA friends and family are invited to join us in an outdoorlunch that begins at noon. Please bring a dish to share.
Thoughts for Meditation
Isaac Newton, mathematician and physicist in the 17th century - “I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.”
Galileo Galilei (1564 -1642 astronomer) - “When I reflect on so many profoundly marvelous things that persons have grasped, sought, and done, I recognize even more clearly that human intelligence is a work of God, and one of the most excellent.”
Martin Luther - “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”