Dear Reader,

April 2019

2019 is one of the rare years in which the spring Feasts as laid out in Leviti-
cus 23:4–14 coincide with the days of the week that our Lord celebrated in His
final year on Earth. Yeshua ate His last Seder on Thursday (the eve of Passover),
died on Passover (Friday), lay in the tomb on Unleavened Bread (Saturday), and
rose on First Fruits (Sunday).
ZOLA LEVITT MINISTRIES
P.O. BOX 12268
Zola explains on p. 4 how the time between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday
DALLAS, TX 75225-0268
constitutes three days and nights. However, because most rabbis celebrate only Un-
OFFICE: leavened Bread — renaming it Passover — and completely miss Passover on Nisan 14
214-696-8844 and First Fruits on the following Sunday, you’ll see that the Jewish “Passover week”
[email protected] begins this year at sunset on Friday, April 19, the eve of Nisan 15.

24-HOUR Our cover story explains Passover’s importance to Yeshua and His family, and why
Purchases & Donations it provides a perfect witnessing opportunity to the Jewish people. See our handy
800-966-3377 timeline of how Yeshua spent those three nights and days per all four Gospels (p. 13).

TOURS: Our profiles of Rescuers continue on p. 10, while Kirsten (6) and Todd (12) both
214-696-9760 explore God’s Shekinah and Todd clarifies a seeming contradiction of Paul. Our
[email protected] new columnist-in-Israel Sarah Liberman sees evidence that God-sanctioned
declarations last forever (8).
WEBSITE:
www.levitt.com If there’s ever to be a peace plan in the Middle East, we need to understand
what’s at stake and why (1, 28, 34). Meanwhile, Israel continues to bless the
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Margot, Editor
Zola Levitt Ministries
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 Levitt
APRIL 2019

The Last Supper, painting by Carl Bloch (1834–1890)

Brethren, my heart’s
desire and prayer to
God for Israel is that

L E T T E R they might be saved.

— R o m ans 10:1

inside: Zola Explains

p.4
Bible Math

Why Christians
Should Celebrate
Passover
By Bernard Starr, Ph.D. / Algemeiner.com
Trump’s Peace Plan:
To
Index

The Passover holiday commemorates the Fake News

Exodus of Jews from slavery in Egypt. It is
a celebration of freedom.
or Familiar
For Jesus/Yeshua — a dedicated, practicing Delusion?
Jew — Passover was a seminal event. By Ryan Jones
IsraelToday.co.il
Although the Gospels do not give us His full
biography, they do make it clear that Passover Israelis were taken
Photo: EPA-EFE/Jim Lo Scalza

loomed large in His life. After His birth and aback recently when
sojourn in Egypt, the only thing we learn their evening news announced
about Him is that He and His family traveled purported details of U.S. President
to Jerusalem every year for Passover: “Now Donald Trump’s Middle East peace
His parents went to Jerusalem every year plan that didn’t quite fit with what
at the Feast of the Passover” (Luke 2:41). they’d come to expect from the
American leader.
This arduous 80-mile trip over crude roads —
with donkeys, provisions, and lambs for the According to Channel 13 News
ritual sacrifice — could take as long as seven journalist Barak Ravid, who cited a
days. Jesus’ family’s faithful participation is a “senior American” official, Trump
testament to their dedication to Judaism and was planning to offer the Pales-
the Torah and the importance of Passover. tinians a fully-sovereign state on
(continued p.2) 85–90% of the West Bank, with the
REMEMBER: Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem
Jewish Passover 2019 begins at sunset on Friday, as its capital city. The report further
April 19, ends at sunset on Saturday, April 27 claimed that Trump wants to return
First Fruits/Easter 2019 Sunday, April 21 (continued p.7)
Why Christians Should Celebrate Passover continued from cover
We next meet Jesus at age 12 at that
year’s Passover celebration in Jerusalem.
During His family’s return trip from
the festival, Mary and Joseph notice
that Jesus is not among the extended
family and other Jews from Nazareth.
They return to Jerusalem to search
for Him and find Jesus in the Temple
debating the Torah with learned
rabbis (Luke 2:42–47).
After this incident, Jesus again vanishes
from the Gospels, this time for 18 years.
He resurfaces at age 30, when He is
baptized by John the Baptist in the River
Jordan and His ministry begins. Three
years later, at the end of His ministry,
Passover again takes center stage among
events that will be monumental for
Jesus Found in the Temple, painting by
James Tissot (1836–1902), Brooklyn Museum
Christianity and the world. Early on the
day of the Passover feast, before His
arrest in Gethsemane garden (that leads to His trial and crucifixion), He tells
His disciples to prepare the traditional Jewish Passover (Luke 22:7–13).
That on the very day that Jesus forecast His imminent death He chose to cele-
brate the traditional Passover meal with His disciples is a powerful statement
about the importance of Passover in His life and His dedication to Judaism.
Unfortunately, art representations of the Passover Last Supper — the chief To
Index
means by which the largely illiterate Medieval and Renaissance European
populations learned about this important holiday — typically presented it
as a Christian celebration, when it was exclusively a Jewish event.
The fact that Jesus and His disciples were Jews is often overshadowed by
emphasis on the ceremony at the end of Jesus’ Passover Seder, which became
the Eucharist sacrament in Christianity.
Even Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper looks like a gathering of monks
rather than a Passover Seder attended by dedicated Jews. The foods on the
table are not the traditional ones for Passover; indeed, items such as eel and
bread would have been a desecration according to the Torah. Moreover, it is
known that Jesus ate only kosher food.
Sadly, such artworks that omit Jesus’ Jewish identity and instead picture him
as a Renaissance-era Christian in settings alien to His origins in the Jewish
village of Nazareth have served to drive Christians and Jews apart.
Over the centuries, the Passover Seder has evolved to reflect the different
cultures of Jews as they scattered throughout the world after the Temple’s
destruction in a.d. 70. Today, in addition to retelling the story of the exodus
from Egypt, many Jews include contemporary and personal perspectives on
freedom, slavery, and other social issues.
Pope Francis: “Inside every Christian is a Jew.” Celebrating Passover offers
Christians an opportunity to reconnect with the common foundation of the two
faiths and experience the authentic Jesus as He lived and worshiped. At the same
time, Believers can add to their Passover celebrations a Christian perspective
while honoring the Jewish Exodus and freedom. (To learn even more about
this common foundation, order Dicovering Our Jewish Roots on p. 19) 1

2
 APRIL 2019
CONTENTS
Levitt
L E T T E R

Teaching Parsons: Hebrew Lesson

4 Zola Explains the Three Days 16 Good Shepherd’s Care
and Three Nights 4
21 IDF’s Mammoth Prep 16
Studio Co-host
for Passover
6 Radiance
22 Letters to ZLM
On the Ground in Israel

Science
8 Blessings and Curses 6
26 A Flower That Hears
10 Rescuers: Agnieszka Approaching Bees
Budna-Widerschal Medicine
and the Roslans 27 Life-Saving Therapies
8
Ask the Chaplain for Metabolic Disorders
12 Timothy’s Circumcision and
the “Shekinah” of God 28 Is Jerusalem
Sacred to Islam?
13 How Jesus Spent 10 30 Select Briefs
His Last Days
Archaeology
Wise as a Serpent 32 Driving Rain Uncovers
14 Inheritance Stewardship Horse Figurines
13
15 ZLM Bulletin Board 33 Crossword Puzzle
34 Why Jews Praying on
the Temple Mount is a
14 Problem for Islam
35 Jewish Humor

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3
Zola Explains the Three Days
and Three Nights
BY ZOLA LEVITT / Levitt.com/faqs
We rerun this most-asked question during the season when you may ask it
yourself. (Also, see the helpful chronology on p. 13.)  — Editor

Back to
Cover
Details of three paintings by Carl Bloch (1834–1890): left: Christ at the Cross,
center: The Burial of Christ, right: The Resurrection of Christ

Friday to Sunday?

Q. If the Lord was crucified on Friday and rose on Sunday, how could that
encompass three days and three nights? To
Index

A. The Gospel accounts indicate that the Lord was crucified on Friday at
9:00 a.m. and taken off the cross at 3:00 p.m. His body was prepared
for burial and interred at sundown the same day, which was the beginning
of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The Lord then arose on Sunday morning
after sunup. Back to
p. 13
According to the modern way of counting, this spans barely two days. Yet
that time period seems to disagree with Jesus’ earlier prediction:
“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s
belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights
in the heart of the earth.”  — Matthew 12:40 Back to
p. 25
The prophecy can be understood when we examine the Jewish way of counting
days and nights. We must recall that the Jewish
day always starts at sunset, so that Friday really
SIDE NOTE:
begins on Thursday evening (a fact that is reflected
in the language of Genesis — “the evening and Day 1: Friday =
sundown on Thursday (night)
the morning” are the first day). The second day, to Friday sundown (day) — 
then, begins at sundown on Friday and continues Crucifixion
through the daytime on Saturday. Finally, Sunday
Day 2: Saturday =
begins at sundown on Saturday and stretches sundown on Friday (night)
through Saturday night and the daylight hours to Saturday sundown (day) —
of Sunday, making the third day. Since the Jews Sabbath rest
counted any portion of daylight as a full day, then Day 3: Sunday =
Friday morning through Sunday morning would sundown on Saturday (night)
have been seen as three complete days and nights. to Sunday sundown (day) —
(continued next page) Resurrection

4
People have sometimes struggled to move Passover
(the “Last Supper”) back one day in order to get three
days and three nights the way we would count them
in the Western world, but that would be inaccurate.
Even in the Western world we begin each day on the
night before at midnight, so the concept is not strange to
us. Supporting this understanding of the Lord’s crucifixion
on a Friday (against those who claim that it happened on a different
day) is the centuries-long history of Christians celebrating Good Friday, not
“Good Thursday” or “Good Wednesday.” This evidence indicates that we can
trust the accuracy of the Bible’s account, and also confirms that knowing the
Jewish roots of Christianity can open a deeper understanding of God’s Word.

Do the Gospels Disagree on

When Jesus Died?

Q. Did Jesus celebrate the Passover and die on Passover day, or did He
celebrate and die on the day before? Matthew, Mark, and Luke say He
died on Passover day, but John seems to claim that He celebrated and died
the day before the Passover. Why the difference?

A. The difference between John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew,
Mark, and Luke) regarding the Passover and death of Jesus is attributable to
the fact that two systems were used at that time for reckoning Passover day. The
Judeans used a method of reckoning different
from the Galileans’ (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).
The Galileans and Pharisees measured days from
sunrise to sunrise, whereas the Judeans and To
Sadducees used the sunset-to-sunset reckoning Index
in John’s Gospel. 
“And the evening and the morning
were the first day.”  — Genesis 1:5
Thus, Jews from Galilee celebrated their
Passover on Thursday evening, with Passover
day starting at sunrise Friday morning. Jews
in Judea and Jerusalem, however, celebrated
Passover on Friday evening at sundown.
Consequently, according to John and
the Jews in Judea, Jesus’ celebration on
Thursday and death on Friday before
sunset occurred on erev Pesach (the
eve of Passover), because Passover
started for them at Friday’s sunset.
The Galilean method used by Jesus and His disciples would have
the Passover Lamb slain and Last Supper on Thursday, 14 Nissan. The Judean
method used by John would have the Passover Lamb slain on 15 Nissan. 
Most scholars agree that because of the two different methods of timekeeping,
there were two days for the slaying of the lambs, which makes sense given the
number of lambs being slaughtered. That task couldn’t be done in a single day.
There is no contradiction; the Gospels reflect the two different chronological
systems for determining the Passover. 1

5
Radiance
Kirsten Hart
Studio co-host of
Zola Levitt Presents

Can you imagine your face shining

so brightly that people can barely
look at you? I’m not referring to a
brand-new facial cream but to God
being such a force in your life that
your face actually radiates His
glory — akin to His Shekinah (see
Todd’s explanation on p. 12). You
would never have to utter a word
or hand out a tract about Christ–
ianity. People could see God’s
radiance on your face and know
that something supernatural is
happening in your life.
With some passages of Scripture,
I like to “chew” (ponder, dig into
the meaning). Exodus 34, verses
29–35 in particular, offers a
“chewable” portion. Moses’ face
was radiant when he descended
from Mount Sinai. Why? Because
he had spoken with the Lord.
I mean, he had a one-on-one
with God Almighty, and Moses didn’t come back looking normal.
People are hungry for tangible proof that God exists, that His power is real. To
Index
What better proof than a face radiating so much light that a veil has to cover it
so not to blind others? I would love to be a walking display of God’s power in
my life, with no words necessary. Wouldn’t you?
A friend observed that it would be very hard for people not to make the “face shin-
ing” about themselves. “I’m closer to God because my face is brighter than yours.”
Back to
Moses had to be a very humble man not to make his shining face about himself and p. 12
how “worthy” he was (Numbers 12:3). Tony Derrick’s Bible lesson on James (March
2019 Personal Letter) reminds us that if we’re looking to serve in God’s Kingdom,
we need to humble ourselves before Him, “and He will lift you up” (James 4:10).
On the final day of our Israel tours, we gather for Communion near the Garden
Tomb. Last fall, I encouraged our group: “When you go back to your normal
lives, I pray that God will shine from your face, and people will notice this
radiance and want to know what’s different about you.”
Awhile after the tour, one of our pilgrims wrote me that a co-worker had
remarked, “You look so different after your tour. I mean, your face is literally
glowing...” It appears that God is still in the business of radiating His glory off
our faces after we encounter Him. Jesus told us that we are the light of the
world (Matt. 5:14–16). Some people think that He meant that symbolically,
but I think that Moses’ radiance is still a possibility.
May your walk with Yeshua be so divinely intimate that people notice a glow, shine,
and radiance coming from your eyes, face, and smile. Shine His light and love!

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of
the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was
radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.”  — Exodus 34:29 1

6
 Trump’s Peace Plan … continued from cover sidebar
to a long-abandoned UN proposal to place were even known, because he knew
Jerusalem’s “Holy Basin,” the area of the Old the Americans wouldn’t offer him all he
City and its immediate surroundings, under and the Palestinians demanded. It’s the
some form of international supervision. same reason he’s been refusing to rejoin
The Trump Administration’s engagement with negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had previously Benjamin Netanyahu since the second term
led most Israelis to believe that gone were of Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.
the days when the Palestinian Authority (PA) Abbas’s rejectionist approach suggests
could flout its peace obligations and still have that Trump was sending up a test balloon
nearly all of its demands met. and that Ravid and Channel 13 did not,
But offering to give them a fully-sovereign in fact, report inaccurately. Trump knows
state on most of Israel’s Biblical heartland he’s got to give the Palestinians something
and divide Jerusalem would suggest really good to get them back to the table,
otherwise, especially when the PA still so perhaps he was trying to see just how
incites its people to hatred and violence much the Israelis would go for.
against Israel’s Jewish population. The problem with that approach, if that’s what
The White House immediately dismissed happened here, is that Trump, like all his
the Channel 13 report as “inaccurate.” predecessors going back to Jimmy Carter,
Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, has failed to understand just how intransigent
Jason Greenblatt, tweeted the following: the Palestinian leadership has become.
Israel’s former prime minister
Ehud Barak already tried to offer the
Palestinians all that Trump is now
allegedly offering, and more, only to
To
have Yasser Arafat throw it back in Index
his face. Abbas, who was mentored
by Arafat, isn’t now going to accept
a Palestinian state on anything less
Greenblatt Tweet than the pre-1967 armistice lines, i.e.
So, just another case of fake news? Could be. a truncated East Jerusalem. He’s staked his
Israel suffers from it just as much as America. entire legacy on rejecting such compromises.
Or, perhaps the Trump Administration was It’s delusional for anyone to think that they
sending up a test balloon to see which can get the Palestinian leadership to now
provisions would be strongly rejected climb down from this tree, even a “master
and which would find some degree of dealmaker” like Trump. 1
acceptance among the
parties involved. It’s not
an uncommon tactic for the
Americans.
Either way, one aspect of the
story that’s being ignored —
it’s been ignored for over two
decades now — is the PA’s
rejection of any proposal that
doesn’t meet its demands
100% ... and then some.
Months ago, PA leader
Mahmoud Abbas rejected
Trump’s “Deal of the President Donald Trump meets with Palestinian Authority
Century” before any details President Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office on May 3, 2017.

7
Blessings and Curses
On the Ground in Israel
Sarah Liberman
SarahLiberman.com
ZLP Contributor

Sarah teaching at the Sea of Galilee

Have you heard people say that walking in the Land of Israel brings the Bible
incredibly alive? It is true. As a Messianic speaker and the director of Ascend
Carmel Worship Programs, I constantly search out illustrations of Biblical princi-
To
ples that leave a lasting impression and change our lives. Israel is full of them! Index

Capernaum
Recently, I taught on location at Capernaum, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Mark chapter eleven mentions Capernaum along with Korazim and Bethsaida —
the three main Jewish cities in the northern shore area during Yeshua’s time Back to
and where Yeshua conducted much of His public ministry and performed many p. 20
miracles. Though they saw the Messiah Himself, the people there would not
repent. In righteous anger, Yeshua cursed the cities for their lack of repentance.
(Matthew 11:20–24)
Since Israel’s regathering and the
Jewish state’s re-establishment
in 1948, many Biblical cities and
towns in Israel have been rebuilt
and restored. But when you look
around the shore of the Sea of
Galilee at these three exact locations
today — two thousand years after
Yeshua pronounced His words over
them — you see nothing but rubble
and ruins. The power of God’s
ancient promises carries through
the generations; I am astounded
to consider how it affects modern
Israeli lives.
(continued next page) Sarah teaching at Mount Carmel

8
Jericho
The city of Jericho is another visible example of the ever-
lasting nature of God’s promises. After taking the city, Joshua
pronounced a very specific curse over it (Joshua 6:26) because
its people did not repent and, instead, defied the God of Israel.
Joshua declared that anyone who attempts to rebuild the city will
lose his first- and last-born sons. Some 500 years later, in the time of King
Ahab, Hiel of Bethel attempted to rebuild the city. He paid dearly for it, exactly
according to Joshua’s words. (1 Kings 16:34)
When you visit Jericho, all that’s left of those ancient walls — still to this
day — are piles of rocks scattered around the valley floor.

Abraham
However, if it is true of curses, it is also true of blessings. A blessing once
pronounced is just as powerful. Incredible blessings were promised to those
who obey the Lord. Abraham’s obedience gave him and his descendants an
inheritance of blessing which is still in effect today.
All people have a choice as to which — blessings or curses — will be at work in
our lives. We can decide to be with the Lord as laid out below … or not.

“See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.
For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in
obedience to Him, and to keep His commands, decrees, and laws;
then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you.”
— Deuteronomy 30:15–16
To
Index
Please visit SarahLiberman.com to learn more about the author. Our pilgrims to
Israel see firsthand the truth of these cursed cities. Come with us.  — Kirsten 1

Heaven and Earth Book

Ken Berg’s favorite Holy Land photographs and stories
For four decades, the producer of Zola Levitt Presents has traversed the Bible
Lands with his camera at the ready. Now this well organized, full-color portfolio
of Ken’s most inspirational shots chronicles key appointed
places that God chose as backdrops
for His Holy Writ, the Bible, to
unfold. From the mountain-
tops to the rivers and seas,
deserts, and archaeological
excavations, this book’s narra-
tive lets the reader commune
anew with Scriptures written
thousands of years ago.

9
Rescuers (continued from last month)
BY JONATHAN BLAUSTEIN (r) NYTimes.com
Our profiles of “Rescuers,” non-Jewish Europeans who risked torture and death
to save Jews during the Holocaust, continue. We hope that these stories
documented by Malka Drucker, a children’s book author, and Gay Block, a
portrait photographer, will inspire others to stand strong in difficult times.
(Our monthly series began in the November 2018 Levitt Letter, p. 10.)

Rescuer Agnieszka Budna-Widerschal

Agnieszka Budna-Widerschal was interviewed in Israel, where she moved
with her second Jewish husband, Shimon. She sheltered her first Jewish
husband, Motl, in Poland during the war and also saved his brothers.
The Catholic woman

Photo: courtesy Gay Block

described her brazen plan
to sneak her brothers-in-
law through the ghetto
to safety: “I pretended to
be drunk while the two
brothers walked on either
side of me, holding me
under my arms. There
were Nazis all over the
street. I knew we would
surely run into one of
them, and when we did
he just took one look at To
me and said with disgust, Index
‘Ach, that’s just like a
Pole!’ And he walked his
way, and we went ours!”
Though her family came
through World War II
intact, Motl died soon after
from diabetes. Worse yet,
in 1954, during a period
of rising anti-Semitism,
Agnieszka’s 9-year-old
daughter Bella was killed,
pushed onto a train track by
a gang of Polish teenagers.
Agnieszka and Shimon
emigrated to Israel a few Agnieszka Budna-Widerschal (b. 1909)
years later.

Rescuers Alex and Mela Roslan

Alex and Mela Roslan were from Bialystok, Poland.
Alex had a textile business and noticed his Jewish clientele were disappearing,
so he put on a star and entered the ghetto. “I saw so many children, hungry
and starving,” he recalled. “They were so skinny. The parents had been taken
to ‘farms,’ but we knew what that meant. I came home and told Mela we had
to do something. We decided to go to Warsaw.”
(continued next page)

10
Photo: courtesy Gay Block

The young couple took an

apartment and eventually
hid three young brothers:
Jacob, Sholom, and David
Gutgelt, ages five to nine.
The Roslans treated the
boys like their own chil-
dren, but never let them
forget their Jewish heri-
tage. Though they weren’t
ever discovered, tragedy
struck when Sholom died
of scarlet fever and the
Roslans’ son Yurek was To
Index
Alex (1909–2005) and Mela (1907–1996) Roslan
killed by a Nazi sniper.
Jacob and David survived
the war and eventually reunited with their father in Israel where they
changed their name to Gilat. Alex and Mela moved to America and lost
contact.
In 1980, David moved to study
for his Ph.D. at the University of
California, Berkeley, and was
reunited with the family that
saved his life. “At first I didn’t
recognize him,” Alex said. “I
hadn’t seen him in so long,
and he had a beard. But then
he threw his arms around me.
David is a mathematician, and
Jacob is a nuclear scientist.”
Jacob’s Rescue, Drucker’s
best-selling children’s book,
was based on Mela.

These “Rescuer” profiles could

be a valuable source for Sunday Jacob, David and Sholom Gutgeld pose with
School teachers to read to their their Aunt Janke in the Warsaw Ghetto, prior
to hiding with Alex and Mela Roslan
classes.  — David 1

11
 Ask the Chaplain

Ask the Chaplain

Dr. Todd Baker
Zola Levitt Ministries
Staff Theologian

Q.
If Paul taught that circumcision
could not save (see Galatians),
why did Paul have Timothy
circumcised in Acts 16:3?

A.
Timothy was Jewish. The context
here indicates that Paul’s purpose
in conducting the circumcision
was not for Timothy’s salvation, but
for his service and ministry among
observant Jews who were aware that
Timothy’s father was Greek. Paul knew
that Timothy’s uncircumcised condi-
tion would hinder Timothy’s ministry
as a Jew among the Jews. Paul did
anything that would help to win souls
to Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19–23).
Understanding that the circumcision Timothy and Lois, painting by Rembrandt’s student,
was performed within the context Willem Drost (1633–1659), Hermitage Museum,
of ministry should dispel any idea of Saint Petersburg, Russia
contradiction.

Q.
What is the
“Shekinah” of God?
To

A.
Index
The word Shekinah is a
compound formed by a
combined usage of Sephardic
and Ashkenazic Hebrew. The noun
basically conveys the idea of God’s
visible presence shining in a super- Back to
p. 6
natural way. The best examples from
Scripture: When God’s glory was
over the Mercy Seat in the Tabernacle
and when Jesus shone the glory of
God on the Mount of Transfiguration.
The Shekinah is the radiant, visible,
brightness of the glorious light of God.

Though the word Shekinah does

not appear in Scripture, the concept
clearly does and is present through-
The Transfiguration of Jesus, painting by
Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834–1890) out the Word of God. When Jesus
prayed for the divine glory that He
had with God the Father in eternity past to be restored at His ascension, the
Savior was referring to the visible, radiant glory of God that He shared with
the two other Persons of the divine Trinity.
“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself,
with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
— John 17:5

(Please see related article on p. 6.) 1

12
How Jesus Spent His Last Days
JewsForJesus.org

Thursday: Jesus and His disciples prepared the Passover lamb1 and had
their Seder meal together.2 Jesus shared heartfelt words with His disci-
ples and offered an intercessory prayer in their behalf.3 They arrived at the
Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus suffered in agony, awaiting what was to
come.4 Later that night Jesus was betrayed and arrested.5 He was tried first
by Annas and later by Caiaphas and other religious leaders.6
Friday: Early in the morning, Jesus was tried by the Sanhedrin, Pilate,
Herod Antipas, and Pilate again.7 He was led to the cross and crucified at 9 a.m.,
died at 3 p.m., and was buried just at sundown that day.8 Jesus died at the
time when the Passover lambs were being sacrificed.
Saturday: Jesus’ body was in the tomb during the Sabbath, and the
Pharisees hired Roman guards to keep watch at the tomb.9
Sunday: Christ was resurrected from the dead.10 His was the first of many
resurrections to come, in which it was a type of first fruits offering. (First fruit
offerings were made on this day, the day after the Sabbath.)11 1
Scripture References
1.  Matthew 26:17–19  Mark 14:12–16  Luke 22:7–13
2.  Matthew 26:20–30  Mark 14:17–26  Luke 22:14–30
3.  Matthew 26:30–35  Mark 14:26–31  Luke 22:31–39  John 15:1–18:1
4.  Matthew 26:36–46  Mark 14:32–42  Luke 22:39–46  John 18:1
To
5.  Matthew 26:46–56  Mark 14:43–52  Luke 22:47–53  John 18:2–12 Index
6.  Matthew 26:57–75  Mark 14:53–72  Luke 22:54–65  John 18:13–27
7.  Matthew 27:1–30  Mark 15:1–19  Luke 22:66–23:25  John 18:28–19:16
8.  Matthew 27:31–60  Mark 15:20–46 Luke 23:26–54  John 19:16–42
9.  Matthew 27:61–66  Mark 15:47  Luke 23:55–56 Back to
p. 4
10.  Matthew 28:1–15  Mark 16:1–13 Luke 24:1–35
11.  Leviticus 23:9–14; 1 Corinthians 15:23
Adapted from Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ by Harold W. Hoehner. Copyright 1977 by The Zondervan
Corporation; 1973, 1974 by Dallas Theological Seminary. Used by permission of The Zondervan Corporation.

(Also, see the Classic Zola article on p. 4.)

Four engravings on copper by Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) from “The Engraved Passion” series:
left: Betrayal of Christ (No.3), second from left: Bearing of the Cross (No.10),
second from right: The Lamentation (No.13), right: Resurrection (No.15)

13
Inheritance Stewardship
Wise as a Serpent
by Mark Levitt
ZLM Director

A devoted, long-time donor recently ing and knowledgeable in person as on

received a sizeable inheritance TV. What a special man and teacher!
and emailed ZLM for suggestions I am sure he and the Lord are proud
on ways to increase her giving. of how you have kept the ministry
Below are excerpts from our email alive through very challenging times.
exchange.  — Mark Thank you very much for taking
the time to respond. Hopefully, we
Dear ZLM, can figure out how the Lord wants
I have followed your ministry’s us to do this.
teaching for a very long time, and I
Hello again, J.M.— 
read every page of your news mag-
Your financial advisor might sug-
azine. My beloved mother passed
gest that you purchase an annuity
away last year and left me a fair
that names ZLM as a beneficiary. A
amount of money.
donor-advised fund could allow you
I always tithe monthly to ZLM
to allocate a demonstrable one-time
and recently retired. My financial
gift to ZLM while retaining control of
advisor suggested that I give from my
how it is spent. Our office manager
inheritance’s interest. How might I do
will mail you an assortment of com-
this? My husband and I believe in your
plimentary stewardship pamphlets.
ministry and want to support it.
I appreciate your complimenting
Thanks again, J.M. (OH)
my efforts to maintain this ministry’s
Good afternoon, J.M. —  integrity. As the business manager here
Thank you for faithfully sustain- for thirty years now, my tenure exceeds
ing our outreach. Besides writing Zola’s on television (1978–2006). But
a monthly check from the interest he actually began his personal ministry To
account, there may be an easier and in 1971, within weeks of being saved, Index
more tax-advantageous approach: so he actively ministered for 35 years.
donating before-tax income in a Blessings, Mark
tax-deferred retirement account. Do
you or your husband have an IRA or
401(k)? My March Levitt Letter column
touched on ways to help you make
offerings that lower your taxable
income. You can read the full article
at levitt.com/the-secret-way-seniors-
can-keep-deducting-gifts-to-charity
Consider purchasing an annuity
(e.g. www.ImmediateAnnuities.com).
Allocating annuity payments to a
nonprofit is arguably one way to
give from an inheritance’s inter- Note: Our office subsequently mailed
est or income. Our ministry offers J.M. the following pamphlets, and I
free informational pamphlets on suggested she read Scott Burns’s “couch
stewardship that weigh a variety of potato investing” article.
strategies for giving wisely over the
• 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Gifts
long term.  — Mark
• The Charitable IRA
Hi Mark, • Giving Through Life Insurance
My husband and I have been on • Q&A About Life Insurance
two of your Israel tours, and words
• Planning for the Future
cannot describe how wonderful these
trips are. We saw your dad speak in • Your Guide to Effective Giving
Columbus, Ohio. He was as entertain- • Is Your Will Obsolete? 1
14
ZLM Bulletin Board
Israeli Doctor Saved
Abbas’s Life
Last May, when doctors for Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas feared
he would die from pneumonia at the
Istishari Arab Hospital in Ramallah, Israel
surreptitiously sent a specialist to provide
treatment. The 83-year-old’s health had
declined for a year while the PA misled the
public and the media about his perilous condition. Then, thanks to
a discreet disregard for BDS that he otherwise supports, Abbas received
the most advanced (read: Jewish) medical care available — and
went home a week later.

PA pays 6X more to
Terrorists than to Needy
The Palestinian Authority’s 2017 budget allocat- FREE ITEM
ed 550 million shekels to terrorist salaries, ranging
from 1,400 – 12,000 shekels ($390 – $3,300) per Pamphlet of
month for each individual. In contrast, the PA the Month
paid only 90 million shekels to 118,000 needy The 14-page booklet
families, ranging between 250 – 600 shekels Giving Through Your Will
($69 – $166) per month per family. The 90 outlines a number of ways To
million shekels for the needy amounted to less to include a charitable gift Index
than one-sixth(!) of the 550 million shekels that in your will, living trust, or
subsidized murderous terrorists. other estate plan. It also
includes forms that may
help you prepare to meet
How to Watch ZLP with your advisors. One
Viewing our television program section touches on “Ways
Zola Levitt Presents (ZLP) is easier to Make Gifts,” such as
than ever. Ways to watch your giving a specific amount,
favorite episodes include: property, percentage,
and residual. To receive
• Scheduled Broadcasts: local TV, cable,
satellite (request our free airing schedule on this free booklet, email
p. 19 or see it at www.levitt.com/schedule). us at [email protected]
Scheduled broadcasts include Daystar, or write to our P.O. Box.
Freeform (formerly ABC Family), Dish, DirecTV,
and dozens of independent stations.
• Online: levitt.tv and “Come Home!”
YouTube.com/ZolaLevittPresents
• T V boxes: see www.levitt.com/roku Zola
• Video podcasts (via iTunes for iPhones, iPads, Tours to
etc.): see www.levitt.com/podcasts Israel
• DVDs: available on page 18 and
at store.levitt.com.
Public libraries and friends welcome you See page 36
to watch ZLP as well. for details

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15
 HebrewLesson
by John Parsons
Hebrew for Christians
Our Good Shepherd’s Care Hebrew4Christians.com

Where it is written, “the Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1),
we note that “I shall not want” (‫ )לא ֶא ְח ָסר‬does not mean “I shall not desire,”
but rather “I shall not lack.” When the Lord is your Shepherd, you can trust
that you have all that you need. Note that David uses the future tense here
(i.e., ‫ ) ֶא ְח ָס ר‬because God is ahead of your next moment, so to speak: “Your
Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matt. 6:8). God’s Name
means Presence, Life, Love, and “I-AM-with-you-always.”

Yeshua is our Good Shepherd ( ‫ ) ָהרעֶ ה ַהּטֹוב‬who makes us lie down in green
pastures, a place of abundant life, and then leads us to still waters, literally
“waters of rest” (‫) ֵמי ְמנֻ חֹות‬, that will restore your soul (the Hebrew verb trans-
lated “restore” is an intensive passive of the verb shuv, “to turn,” indicating that
the Shepherd causes your soul to return to the Divine Presence for healing and To
Index
life). Yeshua said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch
them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28). Yeshua is the one who makes the paths
of righteousness for us; He leads us on the way to the Father (John 14:6).
“So don’t be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow has its own troubles.
Live one day at a time” (Matt. 6:34). It makes no sense to worry about the
future if the Lord is the Good Shepherd who tenderly watches over your way
(Psalm 23:1). Every day we are given “daily bread,” but we must remember
that manna could not be stored without becoming rotten (Exod. 16:20). God’s
provision is “sufficient unto the day.”
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the
kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Therefore “be strong and of good courage” — chazak
ve’ematz. The Lord God promises “never to leave you nor forsake you,” and to
be with you wherever you go (Josh. 1:5,9; Heb. 13:5, Psalm 139; Matt. 28:20).
In the Greek New Testament, the wording of Hebrews 13:5 (i.e., “I will
never leave you nor forsake you”) is
Courtesy: The Jerusalem Connection

highly emphatic: “Not ever will I

give up on you (οu’ μh́ σε àνŵ); no,
not ever will I leave you behind
’ οu’ μh́ σε εγκαταλ
(οuδ ’ íπω).” May
you hear the voice of the Good
Shepherd calling you, and may
He forever keep you under His
watchful care. Amen. 1

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ZLM Store FEATURED
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The Miracle of Passover
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Scripture quotations come from the

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 ZLM product ORDER FORM
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ZLM Store FEATURED
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Return To Eden DVD Set
Ten 30-minute programs on 2 DVDs

Return to Eden tells the Bible’s story from Genesis

to Revelation. The Lord bridged the relationship gap
(caused by mankind’s sin in the Garden of Eden)
by creating a special relationship with a people
and a land that eventually led to the Messiah.
David and Kirsten Hart present this series that
features teaching from Dr. Jeffrey Seif, interviews,
insights from worship leader Sarah Liberman
(see p. 8), and music composed by Zola Levitt.
Out of Eden Adam and Eve’s sin led not only to
man’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden but, more
importantly, to the loss of personal fellowship with the
Lord. To bridge this relationship gap, God instituted the
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Back to Eden The journey to restoring a relationship with God has no shortcuts. God
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Tabernacle in Shiloh. The Menorah symbolizes not only the Jewish people but also the Index
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20
 IDF’s Mammoth Prep for Passover
BY YAAKOV LAPPIN (r) JNS.org

Despite its round-the-clock security Search and Rescue Brigade, meaning

missions, the Israel Defense Forces that its soldiers extract the injured from
(IDF) brings the holiday spirit to its rubble and deal with unconventional-­
personnel. As Passover nears, mem- weapons attacks.
bers of the Binyamin Brigade serving “Our soldiers can be on a
in combat and combat-support roles routine activity in Judea
explain how they celebrate while in and Samaria one minute,
military service. and in the next minute,
Sgt. Shir Zandberg, an Operations change their green vest
Sergeant, said, “I am protecting my and helmet for yellow
own sector,” referring to the fact ones to go on rescue
that the Binyamin Brigade defends missions anywhere in
her home community. This provides Israel,” he explained.
her with intimate knowledge of the At their Seder, soldiers
area and the awareness of ongoing have the added satis- Maj. Assaf Diler
security alerts and incidents. faction of knowing that
Zandberg acts as a bridge between they enabled many civilians to hold
those reporting incidents on the their own holiday meals a few hours
ground and the military forces that earlier. Like many combat units, the
respond to them. Her 12-hour shifts battalion holds its Passover Seder
will be briefly interrupted this Pass- later than the civilians they defend.
over when she “Protecting entire families who sit
celebrates the down for the meal,” he added, “gives
Seder meal with the soldiers real significance.” To
Index
her family.
The security-­ Making the Bases
threat level Kosher for Passover
changes from The Brigade’s Rabbi Yehuda Mantel
one holiday to spoke about the “very complex
the next, accord- logistical” operation to make the entire
ing to Zandberg. military kosher for Passover. “Within
“Before every a few hours, we do this. Everyone —
holiday, we from the chief of staff down, from
Sgt. Shir Zandberg
prepare for north and south — participates.”
what will happen, in line with the
The operation includes bringing new
latest security evaluations,” she said.
dishes to bases across the country.
Last year, she attended the Passover Reserve soldiers volunteer to assist
Seder at the base. “The brigade rabbi in this mammoth task. “The IDF can’t
really brought the spirit of the holiday take time off to do this. It must defend
to the base.” Dozens of soldiers and Israel as normal,” affirmed the rabbi.
officers who remained on base sat Even units stationed at lookout towers
at tables as the rabbi read from the in far-flung locations will take part, he
Haggadah. That experience feels like said. “We have to ensure it is kosher
an expanded family celebration, said for Passover.”
Maj. Assaf Diler, Deputy Commander of
Passover is the IDF’s holiday. “We have
the Ram Battalion, whose wife and chil-
won the privilege of being a Jewish
dren will celebrate the Seder on base.
military in a Jewish state that we can
The Ram Battalion conducts daily safeguard. Nothing suits the holiday
security missions in the territories and is more than that,” said the rabbi. 1
also part of the Homefront Command’s

21
 Some letters have been edited for space.

Letters
to ZL M
For ministry products and TV programs, visit the
web store and video archives.

Hebrew Lessons Bless Me

Dear ZLM,
John Parsons’s teachings have been a blessing and encouragement. Seems
the Lord has him write exactly what I need many times. The Lord is with you
all. Keep up the good work of faithfulness to the Lord.  — L.M. (NM)
Dear L.M. — 
Please keep John in your prayers. Aside from continuing health concerns
and his young family’s needs, his home’s heater went out in the midst of the
arctic blast that Minnesota endured in January. ZLM continues
to relay 100% of contributions that are designated for John’s
Hebrew4Christians.com ministry.
For more than a decade, John has furnished the Levitt
Letter’s monthly Hebrew lessons as an unpaid volunteer.
Do yourself (and him) a favor by ordering Zola’s Intro­
duction to Hebrew, this ministry’s Hebrew primer offered on
John Parsons page 18 and online at store.levitt.com/hp.  — Mark
THE ARGYLE SWEATER by Scott Hilburn
To
Index
Wretches and Wrenches
Dear ZLM,
I am sad and sick in my heart because of a recent
cartoon in the Levitt Letter. It is most offensive to me,
a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in
extremely bad taste. I can’t speak for Yahweh, however
I doubt very much if He is even smiling about this car-
toon. To joke or make fun of something as precious as
God’s amazing grace is shameful! It has no place
in a Judeo-Christian magazine.  — K.O. (WA)
Dear K.O. — 
Your letter objecting to the comic from our January 2019 Levitt Letter (p. 22)
reminds me of a tale about a shade-tree mechanic working on his old jalopy
among overgrown grass. This weekend grease monkey was a devout but
clumsy hayseed who loved his hymns.
Unfortunately, one afternoon he fumbled his favorite wrench and couldn’t
find it among his lush lawn. Consequently, he brought his grass-eating dog,
Mace, to assist with his search. Mace dutifully chomped away, and before
long, the mechanic rejoiced: “A-grazing Mace, how sweet the hound, who
found my wrench fer me!”
It was not our intention to offend you, but please imagine many thousands
of our subscribers chuckling at the comic you mentioned as they recalled the
original lyrics from “Amazing Grace.” Incidentally, “A cheerful heart is good
medicine” (Prov. 17:22).  — Mark
(continued next page)

APRIL 2019 . ZLM . PO BOX 12268 . DALLAS TX 75225-0268 . (214) 696-8844 . WWW.LEVITT.COM
22
 Fleecing God’s Sheep
Dear Mark,
I was appalled at your degrading statements about Zion Oil and its
founder (January 2019 Personal Letter). Whether any of your claims are
true or not, John Brown is (like each of us) created in God’s image. Your
superior attitude, unloving, unkind, and mocking words of condemnation
do not express the love of Christ.
When you splatter muddy words on a person and his character, you sling
that mud on the image of God and on Christ who lives in him. It is one thing
to disagree with a person but quite another to slander. You have used your
newsletter as a platform of degradation and that is why I ask you to remove
me from all your mailing lists. Thank you, S.K.B. (NJ)
Dear S.K.B. — 
Over the last 17 years, Brown’s Zion Oil company has squandered
$171 million in investments from those who are gullible enough to mistake
Deut. 33:24 as referring to petroleum rather than olive oil. That vast sum
would have let ZLM double our ministerial efforts over the last forty (40!)
years.
Your excoriation of my lack of love for Zion Oil takes me back to Yeshua’s
not-so-gentle-meek-and-mild rebuke of moneychangers at the Temple.
Messiah despised seeing worshipers fleeced on the Lord’s premises. And I
believe it’s an abomination to distort Scripture to exploit the aspirations of
naïve investors. Just as Yeshua denounced their actions and not the money-
changers, so we denounce Brown’s continued practices and not him.
Unless the January Personal Letter inspired you to throw good money
after bad into Zion Oil’s coffers, please send a certified letter confirming To
Index
whether Brown has decided that the remuneration is just too good to stop
Zion’s charade in the face of the multiple investor lawsuits mentioned by
the credible source that I quoted: The Dallas Morning News. Moreover, if
The News has libeled Brown, then maybe he could collect a handsome legal
settlement from them … to perhaps pour into more dry holes.  — Mark

P.S. In the twenty months since you made a purchase and donation, ZLM has
sent you 720 pages of Levitt Letter news and 160 pages of Personal Letter
Bible studies. Out of 880 pages of content, your objecting to a single page
gives our ministry a batting average of nearly 99.9% — WAY better than any
wildcatters, nu (Yiddish for “isn’t that so”)?!?
(continued next page)

NON SEQUITUR by Wiley GoComics.com/NonSequitur

... or a left-behind theologian.

APRIL 2019 . ZLM . PO BOX 12268 . DALLAS TX 75225-0268 . (214) 696-8844 . WWW.LEVITT.COM
23
LETTERS TO ZLM continued

Teaching an Unbelieving World

Dear ZLM,
I had to stop my donations awhile back due to some unexpected expens-
es, which I have now worked through. Zola’s teachings mean very much to
me, and your news magazine is a monthly highlight. While I miss Myles and
Katharine, I appreciate the new hosts.
It would distress me if Zola Levitt’s teaching were not available to an
unbelieving world. Please keep up the good fight. As my finances improve,
I will seek to increase my monthly support of your ministry. Shalom from a
grafted-­in gentile who is learning Hebrew through John Parsons’s monthly
lesson in your Levitt Letter.  — A.K. (UT)
Dear A.K. — 
Be reassured that Zola’s teaching will remain available 24/7 — his TV
programs (on levitt.tv and our social media), and his Notes, letters, and essays
at levitt.com/essays. His study booklets are affordable, and many are available
in digital format. From one grafted-in gentile to another, thank you. May we
continue to share Yeshua’s life-changing message.  — David
P.S.  — For those interested in learning Hebrew, we offer John’s primer
Zola’s Introduction to Hebrew on p. 18.

Zola’s Teaching Continues

Dear ZLM,
Please unsubscribe us from the Levitt Letter. We don’t want the cost of post-
age to detract from our gifts. We partner regularly with other ministries. We were To
originally attracted to the show because you were airing Zola teaching. It seems Index
the show has gone in a different direction now.  — I. and G. (Canada)
Dear I. and G. — 
If you haven’t been reading or sharing our news magazines, then we should
stop mailing them to you. Then again, if you find you’re missing Zola’s fine
teaching in his monthly “Classic Zola” article, please resume your subscription
and/or read it online at levitt.com. You can also sign up to receive free notifica-
tions whenever we post new Levitt Letters and Personal Letters. To access the
vast archive of Zola’s teaching from television, please visit levitt.tv.  — Editor
(continued next page)

Glory! The Future of the Believers

study booklet and teaching CD
By Zola Levitt
Prophecy studies often deal with the Tribulation, the
antiChrist, Armageddon, and other cataclysms to
befall an unbelieving world. This delightful study deals
with the happy events prophesied for Believers:
• the Rapture
• the Marriage Supper
• the Kingdom, etc.
The future for those who believe.

APRIL 2019 . ZLM . PO BOX 12268 . DALLAS TX 75225-0268 . (214) 696-8844 . WWW.LEVITT.COM
24
 Zola’s Songs by Lamb music CD
The popular Messianic singing group Lamb originally
recorded Zola’s first album of spiritual songs. This upbeat
presentation of the music of the Holy Land includes a word
sheet with Hebrew translations. (Lamb performs in our
Close Encounters with Yeshua series.)

Rebranding Zola?
Hi ZLM,
I have loved Zola Levitt’s teachings for years, and no one can take his place.
So, why not rebrand him?
Look at Dr. Adrian Rogers or Dr. James Kennedy, both of whom have
been rebranded. These wonderful ministers have been deceased for a number
of years. Do the same with Zola Levitt’s lectures.
Why throw away a good thing? You are making a huge mistake in how
you’re presenting your programs. Just my opinion. Good Luck, B.W. (PA)

Dear B.W. — 
Zola’s weariness at explaining how the New Testament could squeeze three
days between Yeshua’s crucifixion and resurrection (see p. 4) inspired him to
create our website’s Q&A page, accessible beneath levitt.com’s “Information” tab.
Now I am contemplating adding a Q&A to dispense with the mistaken
perception that this ministry has “thrown away” Zola’s (or anyone else’s)
Bible teaching. If you’ll click on “Zola TV” at levitt.com, you can experience To
and review all of Zola’s (and our other teachers’) best ZLM teaching to your Index
heart’s content. Try it, you’ll like it!  — Mark

He’ll Make A Way

Dear Kirsten,
While you may have taken writer’s liberty in your February 2019 Levitt Letter
article (p. 6), it comes across as Abraham forgetting God’s promise of becoming
a great nation through his seed (Gen. 17). Of course, if Isaac had been sacrificed,
there would be no great nation.
Confusion? Anger and grumbling?  None of these crossed Abraham’s mind
going up the mountain. Abraham told his young men, “I and the lad will go
yonder and worship and come back to you.” In other words, both would return!
If that statement doesn’t tell of no confusion or anger, then Abraham’s
answer to Isaac when asked, “...but where is the lamb?” surely does: “My son,
God will provide for Himself a lamb.” Jehovah Jireh (“God will provide”), B.M.

Shalom B.M. — 
I wholeheartedly revere Abraham’s faithfulness and goodness. That is
why God chose him in the first place!
Confusion and anger were what I personally would have felt in the
seemingly grave situation that Abraham faced. I apologize that the limited
space didn’t let me adequately convey that ALL those thoughts of doubt
would have been mine. I’m thankful that God asked Abraham and not me
to sacrifice an only son, because I’m not sure I would have been as will-
ing.  — Kirsten 1

APRIL 2019 . ZLM . PO BOX 12268 . DALLAS TX 75225-0268 . (214) 696-8844 . WWW.LEVITT.COM
25
A Flower That Hears Approaching Bees
SCIENCE: TimesOfIsrael.com

Israeli scientists at Tel Aviv University

(TAU) say they have found a flower that
hears the approach of pollinating bees
and hawk-moths and produces extra
and sweeter nectar in response.
Using the evening primrose, or
Oenothera drummondii, the scientists
showed that the sound of a flying bee,
as well as “synthetic sound-signals at
similar frequencies,” induced the flow-
ers to excrete sweeter nectar within
three minutes.
The plants’ “ear” is simple: The flower Evening primrose flower on a beach
petals themselves, which vibrate when
sound waves at the frequency produced
by pollinators’ wings pass by, serve as “the plant’s auditory sensory organ.”
The flowers did not respond to higher frequency sound.
“Our results document for the first time that plants can rapidly respond to polli-
nator sounds in an ecologically relevant way,” the scientists explain. The ability
to hear the approaching pollinating
insect can offer a huge advantage to a
plant, they say.
“The great majority (87.5%) of flower- To
Index
ing plants rely on animal pollinators
for reproduction,” the scientists note.
“In these plants, attracting pollinators
can increase plant fitness and is
achieved using signals such as color,
odor, and shape, and by food rewards
of nectar and pollen.”
However, offering such an “increased
reward” — for example, producing
Bees on honeycomb extra or sweeter nectar — can be
physiologically costly. It can rot: “[A]
standing crop of nectar is subject to degradation by microbes,” the scientists
note. Oh, and it might also be “robbed” by ants.
If a plant can detect an approaching pollinator, however, it could release the
better nectar only when an appropriate pollinator arrives, “in a way that would
increase the probability of pollination.”
To test this possible sense of hearing in the flowers, the scientists say they
measured “petal vibration and nectar sugar concentration in response to
sounds. We analyzed the effect of different sound frequencies, including both
pollinator recordings and synthetic sounds at similar and different frequencies.”
The study’s results suggest plants may have evolved, and may still be evolving,
to become better at hearing, primarily through the shapes of flowers. It also
suggests that human-made sounds could be negatively affecting plants’ ability
to attract the appropriate pollinators by confusing their sound-detection and
nectar-production systems. 1

26
New Israeli Research May Lead to
Life-Saving Therapies for Metabolic Disorders
MEDICINE: BY HANA LEVI JULIAN (r) JewishPress.com

New research at Tel Aviv University (TAU) suggests that the role of yeast, the
world’s most basic eukaryotic unicellular organism, may pave the way for the
development of novel, more effective therapies. The research was published in
Nature Communications.
There are hundreds of metabolic disorders — including phenylketonuria,
tyrosinemia, maple syrup urine disease, and homocystinuria. These disorders
lead to congenital diseases that produce a critical enzyme deficiency that
interferes with the body’s metabolism. The pathologies and symptoms vary
among the diseases, but all of them are usually fatal and have no known
cure. Most metabolic disorders affect infants.
The majority of these diseases currently lack effective treatments and patients
must maintain a strict diet, avoiding certain food items that contain substances
their bodies cannot break down. Often the proposed solutions, such as bone
marrow transplants, are extremely expensive and only partially effective.
Now researchers are looking at the role of yeast.
“The same yeast that serves as a basis for the bread we eat and the beer we
drink now also serves as an instrumental model of metabolic disorders,” says
Dr. Dana Laor of TAU’s George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, the lead author
of the study conducted in Prof. Ehud Gazit’s TAU laboratory.
“Three Nobel Prizes have been awarded in the last decade for research related To
to yeast. Yeast grows quickly; it’s affordable; and it’s easily manipulated as a Index
simple unicellular organism,” Dr. Laor explains.
The research is based on previous studies conducted by Prof. Gazit and his
colleagues that revealed the role of toxic metabolite accumulation in the pathology
of metabolic disorders. “We have known for a while now that amyloids are
linked to severe diseases of the central nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s,
Parkinson’s and Huntington’s,” Prof. Gazit says. “They characterize genetic met-
abolic disorders as well. While each condition is separately considered as ‘rare,’
these disorders constitute a major proportion of pediatric genetic diseases.”
“Our research may help identify the molecular mechanisms involved in these
diseases and thereby help to develop suitable drugs,” says Dr. Laor. “Thousands of
children’s lives may be saved and their quality of life significantly improved.” 1

NON SEQUITUR by Wiley GoComics.com/NonSequitur

No worries. 2 Cor. 5:1–5 assures Believers that

new bodies will replace our earthly ones.

27
Is Jerusalem Sacred to Islam?
BY MOHAMAD TAWHIDI (r) JPost.com

Jerusalem as seen from the Mount of Olives

Jerusalem is home to around 400,000 Muslims, but is it a sacred city accord-

ing to Islam? To answer this vitally important question, we need to inquire
how cities become sacred according to Islam. 

Sacred cities in Islam

Throughout human history, every religion has been associated with an area To
Index
that has been sanctified, respected and revered. Tens of sacred cities — such
as Mecca, Medina, Qum, Karbala, and Najaf — are exalted due to clear verses of
the Koran or sayings of Prophet Mohammad acknowledging their glory.
There is a big difference between a city being sacred in the eyes of God and it
being a sacred Islamic city. For example, all prophetic tombs, birthplaces, and
Back to
areas where miracles took place are considered sacred in Islam, but they are p. 30
not specifically Islamic locations. A sacred Islamic location is a location wherein a
significant Islamic event has taken place by either Allah or Mohammad. 

Jerusalem in Islamic scripture 

The Holy Koran states very clearly that the Holy Land, Jerusalem, belongs to Back to
the Jewish nation of Moses, the Israelites: p. 34

“And [mention, O Mohammad], when Moses said to his people, “O my

people, remember the favor of Allah [God] upon you when He appointed
among you prophets and made you possessors and gave you that which
He had not given anyone among the world.”  — Koran: 5:20 onwards
The above verse also makes it clear that God “had not given (this land to) anyone
among the world” other than the Jewish nation. From this verse, and others of
similar context, we understand that Jerusalem is a sacred city according to God,
but it is not a sacred Islamic city, due to the fact that its sacredness was estab-
lished before the existence of Islam. 
After the emergence of Islam in the year 621, it is believed that Mohammad
took a miraculous and spiritual night journey to Al-Aqsa Mosque (“the Farthest
Mosque”). This event is reported in the Koran in the following verse:
(continued next page)

28
 “Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from the Sacred
Mosque (Mecca) to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings
We have blessed, to show him of Our signs….”  — Koran 17:1
Two vital matters need to be addressed regarding the
above verse:
1. Prophet Mohammad traveling to a location does not make that
location “Islamic.” 
2. There is little evidence that “Al-Aqsa Mosque” is actually in Jerusalem,
and there are a large number of Muslims who believe that “the Farthest
Mosque” is a reference to a mosque in the heavens, not on Earth, due to
the fact that the current Al-Aqsa Mosque did not exist during the lifetime
of Mohammad, making it impossible for him to have visited it. 
Messengers of both Judaism and Christianity had arrived in Jerusalem to preach
their Scriptures centuries before Mohammad. Therefore, it cannot be historically
accurate to say that Mohammad brought Islam to Jerusalem before them.
Up until the migration of Mohammad to Medina in 622 and the official establish­
ment of Islam therein, Islam was a minority religion when compared to the two
well-established religions of Judaism and Christianity. Besides, the citizens
of Jerusalem who converted to Islam merely changed their own faith, not the
entire history of Jerusalem.
Thus, neither Islamic scripture nor “The Holy Koran
history claims that Jerusalem is a sacred states very clearly
Islamic city.
that the Holy Land,
Islam as a religion officially came to Jerusalem, belongs to
Palestine in the year 636, four years To
after Mohammad’s death. When Omar,
the Jewish nation of Index

the second caliph of Islam, realized that Moses, the Israelites.” 

Islam was still a minority religion in the
region, he adopted the jizya system, forcing Christians and Jews to pay tax.
When Caliph Omar came to Jerusalem to appoint his governors, he built “the
Aqsa Mosque,” which many Muslims mistakenly think was built by Mohammad. 
The notorious caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate, Al-Hakim, caused much damage to
the entire region, even killing John VII, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, a provocative
act that laid the groundwork for the First Crusade. Due to the defeat of the
Crusaders, Muslims became the majority by the sword, not by the pen. 
The citizens of Palestine may convert to Islam, but in no way can Palestine
be considered Muslim land. In fact, Jews were in this land long before even
Christ­ianity arose. Their ancient cultural links remain unbroken, as in the
saying each Passover, “Next year in Jerusalem.”
I do not understand the Muslim struggle for Jerusalem. Islamic laws strictly
prohibit relieving oneself while facing Mecca; in fact, toilets in all Islamic
countries and most Muslim homes do not face Mecca. Yet Bukhari reports that
Mohammad chose to deliberately relieve himself while facing Jerusalem. 
Does it make sense that Palestinians are dying for Jerusalem when their own
beloved Prophet used to prefer defecating toward it? A Muslim may reject Israel
being a state, but he cannot deny the fact that the entire region, including
Palestine, is, in fact, Jewish land. (See article on p. 34.)
The writer, an Iranian-born Australian Shia Muslim Imam, is president of the
Islamic Association of South Australia. 1

29
 SELECT
Photo: Hadas Parush

MEDIA
BRIEFS

The Al-Aqsa Mosque

on the Temple Mount
compound in Jerusalem

Anti-Semitic Dutch Publisher across the border.” That book does not
By Cnaan Liphshiz / JTA.org mention Arab atrocities during the
A Dutch publisher that created school same conflict.
textbooks accusing Israelis of ethnic
cleansing has released a new text omit-
ting Jerusalem’s significance to Jews. Immigrant Imam Teaches
The omission occurred in a textbook Hatred of Jews
about social issues, Plein M by Middle East Media Research Institute
Nordhoff Publishers for preparatory MEMRI.org
middle-level applied education level In January, the Al-Zahraa Islamic
schools, including public schools. Center in Detroit uploaded to its
It states that Jerusalem is holy to YouTube channel an anti-Semitic
Muslims and Christians, but does not lecture by its imam Bassem Al-Sheraa.
To
mention Jews. (See p. 28 article “Is Al-Sheraa said that the Jews have Index
Jerusalem Sacred to Islam?”) distorted sacred texts and sanctioned
the killing of prophets such as Jesus
It also states that Jews and
Christians were “mostly
treated well” by Arabs
throughout history. It does
not mention capital taxes
and many pogroms perpe-
trated against Jews in Arab
countries before and during
the flight of at least 800,000
Jews from those countries in
the 20th century. Today, there
are fewer than 7,000 Jews
living in Arab countries.
MEMRI screen capture of Al-Sheraa
Likoed Nederland, a pro-Israel
group, called the book a form of “his- and John the Baptist. He accused the
torical falsification,” adding it “reads Jews of employing tricks and fraud in
like Palestinian propaganda.” matters of religion and morality, and
In 2015, Nordhoff defended a history of amassing gold and spreading usury.
book that states that David Ben-Gurion, Explaining that usury is a “peculiar
Israel’s first prime minister, declared Jewish philosophy,” Imam Al-Sheraa
statehood after “Jewish militias carried said that the Jews have used it as
out murders in Arab villages, and a means of attaining power, even
hundreds of thousands of Palestinians though it contradicts their religious
fled and settled in refugee camps teachings, and that even the modern
(continued next page)
30
 THE ARGYLE SWEATER by Scott Hilburn
banking system is based on the
Jews’ “instructions and vision.” He
further said that Jewish women have
historically established and man-
aged “dens of female iniquity” and
headed the brothels of Europe, and
that the Jews allow their faith to be
passed down maternally so that their
women could increase the Jewish
population through prostitution.
Al-Sheraa graduated from the Najaf
Hawza in Iraq. He emigrated to the U.S.
and founded the Scholarly Najaf Hawza
in Northern America – Michigan.

Promise Kept — 
U.S. Embassy
Associated Press channels with Judea, Samaria, and
As promised last October, the U. S. Gaza to ambassador David Friedman,
officially shuttered its Jerusalem a longtime supporter of the settlement
consulate in March, downgrading its movement and critic of Palestinian
diplomatic mission to the Palestinians leaders (who called the move “the
To
by folding it into the U.S. Embassy. final nail in the coffin” for the U.S. role Index
For decades, the consulate func- in peacemaking). Trump’s son-in-law,
tioned as a de facto embassy to Jared Kushner, announced that the
the Palestinians. The symbolic shift U.S. would unveil Trump’s peace plan
hands authority over U.S. diplomatic after Israel’s elections in April. 1

The Iranian Menace in Jewish

History and Prophecy book
by Dr. Jeffrey Seif
Iran is central in End Times prophecy. At a time
when Iran has captured the world’s attention
with nuclear threats, Jeff harnesses Scriptural
and secular evidence to support his case for the
Iranian-­Armageddon connection. After glimpsing
Iran in ancient Roman and Jewish histories,
you will learn the significance of prophecy in
the Jewish Scriptures and apocalyptic literature.
Jeff’s analysis is based on sound Scriptural
understanding and two decades of academic
contemplation.

31
Driving Rain Uncovers Horse Figurines
ARCHAEOLOGY: BY AMANDA BORSCHEL-DAN (r) TimesOfIsrael.com

Photo: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority

Closeup of both horse figurines: Left: 2,200-year-old Hellenistic-era horse figurine discovered near Tel Akko
Right: 2,800-year-old Iron Age horse figurine which was discovered after a rain near Beit She’an

Even while hiking with her daughters, an Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) To
employee can’t leave work behind. When searching for mushrooms following Index
a January rain, archaeologist Ayelet Goldberg-Keidar’s two girls, Hadas and
Maya, found instead a small 2,800-year-old horse-shaped clay figurine.
“I immediately recognized it as a figurine from the Iron Age — the period of
the Kingdom of Israel,” said Keidar-Goldberg.
Coincidentally, a second horse statue — this one “only” 2,200 years old — was
also recently discovered in a second location, near the seaside site of Tel Akko, by
another hiker, Michael Markin. According to the IAA, the Tel Akko horse, depicted
with a harness and mane, dates to the Hellenistic Period (3rd–2nd centuries b.c.).
It is not unusual for such finds to make their way to the surface following heavy
rains, said Nir Distelfeld, an IAA Theft Prevention Unit inspector. Likewise, nature
can get a helping hand from the animal kingdom, when burrowing creatures
expose ancient artifacts.
Photo: Nir Distelfeld, Israel Antiquities Authority

In December 2017, during another family

hike, Goldberg-Keidar and daughter Hadas
stumbled upon an intact 2,200-year-old
clay lamp lying at the mouth of a cave used
by a porcupine as a winter den. “Porcupines
prefer archaeological sites because the earth
is less packed due to man’s activities in the
past,” said Distelfeld.
Through real-time, accurate reporting of finds
and their locations, archaeologists can “extract
the archaeological information from the site,”
said Distelfeld. In the cases of these horse Tel Akko Hellenistic-era horsehead
(continued next page)
32
heads, preliminary inspection by University of Haifa archaeolo-
gist and art historian Dr. Adi Erlich has already yielded a wealth
of information. Erlich explained that alongside greater utilization
of horses, such figurines were common in Israel during the Iron
Age (first millennium b.c.). Figurines or vessels depicting horses
were carved both with and without riders, she said.
A rider’s left hand is apparent on the neck of the small horse statuette discov-
ered by the Goldberg-Keidars. According to Erlich, the style and craftsmanship
of the figurine is characteristic of the 9th–7th centuries b.c. On the clay horse
head, the artist added ears, a harness, and mane, as well as red stripes which
can still be faintly discerned. 1

Photos: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority

Left: Iron Age horse figurine Right: On left is a 2,800-year-old Iron Age horse figurine which was discovered after a
rain near Beit She’an. On the right, a 2,200-year-old Hellenistic-era horse figurine discovered near Tel Akko

To
Crossword April 2019: Index

Warrior King 3
(answers on p. 35)

ACROSS

2. Thou hast been in __…

(Ezekiel 28:13)
3. Behold the __ come…
(Jeremiah 23:5)
7. O __ and see that
the Lord is good…
(Psalm 34:8)
9. And I will set up one __
over them…
(Ezekiel 34:23)
10. And he shall be __... (Luke 1:32)
11. I am the __... (John 10:9)
13. And I the __ will be their God...
(Ezekiel 34:24)
14. Oh fear the Lord, ye his __... (Psalm 34:9)
15. …and delivered me from all my __.
(Psalm 34:4)

DOWN

1. …and shalt call his name __. (Luke 1:31)

4. Woe be unto the pastors that __…
(Jeremiah 23:1)
5. …appeared unto him in a __…
(Matthew 1:20)
6. In his days __ shall be saved… (Jeremiah 23:6)
8. A light to lighten the __… (Luke 2:32)
12. Now __ be unto God… (2 Corinthians 2:14)

33
Why Jews Praying on the Temple
Mount is a Problem for Islam
BY PHIL SCHNEIDER / IsraelUnwired.com

After the Israel Defense Forces liberated the Temple Mount from the occupying Jordanians
in the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel’s Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan, handed the keys
back to the Muslim Waqf. He basically renounced any form of Jewish control over the site.
This was a super respectful move … but a major mistake.
Israel should have held on to its holiest site but worked out some form of compromise for the
Muslims to pray nearby at what they consider a place of prayer. But there is no holier place to the
Jewish people than the Temple Mount. However, Moshe Dayan was not a devout Jew and did
not understand the historic opportunity that he had in his hands. Apparently, God thought it was
not yet time for full Jewish control of the holiest site in the world. We have more work to do.
Dr. Mordechai Kedar, who is fluent in Arabic, explains why Muslims are opposed to
Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount:

In the eyes of Islam, Islam did not come to the tolerate Judaism being a living, breathing
world to live alongside Judaism and Christian- religion. It is opposed to the most basic per-
ity. Islam came to the world to take their place. ception of Islam, its whole raison d’être, as a
Furthermore, in order to build itself from the religion that came into being to build itself on
ruins of Judaism and Christianity, everything the ruins of Judaism [and Christianity].
that was once Jewish or Christian became Therefore, when a Jew prays, it’s not good.
Muslim. Abraham became the first Muslim; When a Jew prays in Jerusalem, it’s a great
all the churches they conquered became deal more “not good.” But when a Jew prays
mosques. King Solomon built a mosque in on the Holy Mount, there is absolutely nothing To
Jerusalem, according to the Muslim version. Index
worse! Because the next thing he does will be
This of course, according to the verse in the to rebuild the Holy Temple. Judaism will
Koran: “Religion for Allah is Islam.” become a relevant religion again, and Islam
Therefore, when there is Judaism, there is will have to go back to the desert, because
a struggle between “Din al-Haqq,” the true it will have no reason to be in the world.
religion — Islam, and “Din al-Batl,” the false Because Judaism — and perhaps also Christ­ Back to
p. 29
religion, which is Judaism. ianity, because Jesus was also active in the
Jews lost everything they had in the world. Temple according to history — will suddenly
Allah threw them into exile, and they have become relevant religions again, Islam can
to stay there as the people of “Dhimma,” take its baggage and go back to the desert.
protected people of Islam, everywhere. Jews Therefore, this theological “kurzschluss”
have no right to come to the Land of Israel, (“short circuit”) is the basis for the whole
“Falastin,” and take it, because it is a Muslim story of the opposition to Jewish prayer.
land. And since the Muslims conquered it in And the nearer we Jews get to proving that
the 7th century, every country has a one-way we have come here to stay, the more fanat-
ticket to enter Islam, not to leave. ical and violent the Muslims become; this
In 1948 (Heaven Forbid!) the first accident: aggravates them because (Heaven Forbid!)
a Jewish state was proclaimed! In 1967, it is happening! This is the theological
a second accident (Heaven Forbid!): they problem and the basis of the problem.
conquered Jerusalem! What will be the next It is not a territorial problem, it’s not a nation-
accident? They will want to rebuild the Holy al problem, and it’s not a political problem;
Temple! And then, if the Holy Temple is built, it is a theological problem! When a Jew
Judaism will return (Allah forbid!!) to be a prays on the Temple Mount, it’s a theological
relevant religion. Then what will become of “kurzschluss” for a Muslim. From it stems all
Islam? Because the Islam that came to the the aggression of these people.
world to take the place of Judaism cannot (See related article on p. 28.) 1

34
JEWISH HUMOR, ETC.
An Unbelievable Story
A little boy returned home from Hebrew School A cheerful heart is
and his father asked, “What did you learn today?” good medicine —
Proverbs 17:22
He answered, “The rabbi told us how Moses led
the children of Israel out of Egypt.”
“How?” 
The boy explained: “Moses was a big
strong man and he beat Pharaoh up.
Then while he was down, he got all
the people together and ran toward
the sea. When he got there, he had
the Corps of Engineers build a huge
pontoon bridge. Once they got on
the other side, they blew up the
bridge while the Egyptians were
trying to cross.”
The father was shocked. “Is that
what the rabbi taught you?”
Answer Key for April 2019 Crossword (p.33)
The boy replied, “No. But you’d Across:  Down:
never believe the story he DID 2. Eden 11. Door 1. Jesus 8. Gentiles
3. Days 13. Lord 4. Destroy 12. Thanks
tell us!” 1 7. Taste 14. Saints 5. Dream
9. Shepherd 15. Fears 6. Judah To
10. Great Index

Zola Levitt Presents TV Airing Schedule

Freeform Airing Day & Time by zone
DirecTV – Channel 311 Dish – Channel 180
Zone Pacific Mountain Central Eastern
2:30 am 3:30 am 4:30 am 5:30 am
Days and and
5:30 am Sun 6:30 am Sun Sun Sun

Daystar Airing Day & Time by zone

DirecTV – Channel 369 Dish – Channel 263
Zone Pacific Mountain Central Eastern
8 pm Wed 9 pm Wed 10 pm Wed 11 pm Wed
Days 3 pm Fri 4 pm Fri 5 pm Fri 6 pm Fri

Our complete TV Airing Schedule includes

dozens and dozens of independent channels
and is posted at www.levitt.com/schedule
(New series from Israel airing soon!)

35
 Non Profit Org

Permit #1851
US Postage

Dallas, TX
PAID
“Matzoh” postcards
(12-pack)
Imagine receiving greetings on this unique
postcard made of matzoh (Jewish unleavened
bread). Unfortunately, matzoh is difficult to write
on and doesn’t mail very well, so we’ve created
a 6" x 6" postcard.
One side is functional — with areas for postage,
Box 12268, Dallas, TX 75225

an address, and a message. The other side

quotes Isaiah 53:5 — He was pierced for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities:

Israel
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him;
and with His stripes we are healed.

Zola Tours
Zola Levitt Ministries is ECFA approved To
Index

Join David & Kirsten Hart in Israel,

Petra, & Greece this FALL.
Petra, Back to
Acropolis, p. 15
& Garden
Tomb

NEW:
ote our
Please n a day
tr
one ex lem!
a
in Jerus

FALL TOUR 2019

Deluxe: Sep. 16–26
(Israel only, $4,988)
Grand Petra: Sep. 16–29
(Israel & Petra, $6,188)
Grand Athens: Sep. 10–26
(Greece & Israel, $7,988)

Go!
Ultra Grand: Sep. 10–29 Call Zola Tours at 214-696-9760
(Greece & Israel & Petra, $9,188)
(prices include tips, taxes, and fuel surcharge)
or email [email protected].
For more info and registration see:
A refundable deposit by credit card
www.levitt.com/tours will hold your reservation.

36 APRIL 2019 FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS OR DONATIONS, YOU MAY CALL 1-800-WONDERS (966-3377).