Prayer Calendar June – July 2023 – Available

‘After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak’ (Acts 13:15).

For the next two months, you will find a section from the Haftara Reading on Saturdays/Sabbaths. This reading is the concluding reading during the Sabbath service after first reading from the Torah. Usually, this reading comes from the Prophets. It is not yet fully understood what led to the creation of the Haftara Reading. One theory is that the Haftara Reading originated when the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes banned Jews from reading from the Torah on the Sabbath in the second century BC. The rabbis then looked for a way out and devised to read a portion from the Prophets which matched the topic of that week’s Torah reading. Fortunately, the situation is different now and Jews in Israel have been living in a country where they are allowed to learn freely from the Torah.

Over the next two months, you will find points of thanksgiving for God’s great faithfulness to His people. We’ll continue to pray for God’s protection against all external threats.

Shalom,
The Christians for Israel International Prayer Team