This time every year you'll find us heading off to the annual meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). This year, the meetings are being held in New Orleans, beginning Nov 17 and finishing Nov 24. The ETS and SBL are not associated, but they always hold their annual meetings in the same city (or at least close to each other) because there are scholars who are members of both society and want to attend both meetings.

What happens at these meetings? Basically many, many papers are read and discussed on theological and biblical topics. In addition, most of the book and software publishers attend the meeting and display their newest publications in one of the largest displays of biblical and theological books you've ever seen. It's a great opportunity to meet and dialog with leading authors and schoalrs in the field of biblical and theological studies. I volunter my time in the Accordance Bible Software booth, where I have the opportunity to sit and talk with many scholars who stop by to see what's new in the Accordance software. Of course, both of us attend the reading of many papers, and as a result, are challenged and rewarded as we discuss cutting edge perspectives on biblical and theological issues.

Unfortunately, not many Messianics attend these conferences. I look forward to the day when a regular contingency of Messianic scholars make their presence known among mainline evangelicals!

Also, as a result of being out of town until the 25th of Nov, our offices will be closed until that time. All orders received while we're away will be filled as soon as we arrive home. (But don't wait until we get home to order items! Scroll down to see a great discount while we're away.)

Hanukkah begins the evening of Dec 10. If you're going to send out some nice Hanukkah cards, now is the time to get them! Don't forget that some of the most beautiful Messianic Hannukah cards are available from Moedim Messianinc Art. Order right away and you'll receive them in time to send them out for Hanukkah!

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We figure that no one will want to order products while we're away from the office, because they know they'll have to wait awhile to get their order. So just to give you an added incentive to order while we're in New Orleans, we're offering a 25% discount on all orders placed from Nov 17–25. Sure you have to wait for your order, but you save 25%! To get the discount, simply put in the discount code crazy25 in the coupon box at checkout.

In America, the month of November hosts our traditional "Thanksgiving Day," which commemmorates the praise and thanksgiving offered by the Puritans for the manner in which God had sustained them through a very harsh winter when they first arrived to establish their colony in the "New World." As such, it is a day that is suppose to remind everyone to "give thanks" to God for all that He has given.

Already my wife is busy getting things ready for the day and for the celebration that will take place in our home as friends arrive to share Thanksgiving Day with us. As we talked about what we need to do to get ready for the day, my thoughts were turned to the Tanach and how the words of Scripture defined and explained the act of "giving thanks." The Hebrew verb yadah immediately came to mind, as it is found in the well known phrase: hodu l'Adonai ki tov, ki la'olam chasdo, "Give thanks to Adonai for He is good, for His mercy is everlasting." (Modern Hebrew uses the verb yadah to mean "thanks," just as we do. Thus, todah [from the verb yadah] is how modern Israelis say "thanks").

As I looked more carefully at the verb yadah as used in the Tanach , however, I realized that it is never used in the common way that we use the word "thanks." In fact, yadah is never used in the Tanach to describe one person giving thanks to another person. Usually when this takes place, the verb employed is barach, "to bless." In fact, while the verb yadah can have the sense of "give thanks," this is not its primary usage, and some even question whether the verb denotes what we usually think of when we say "thanks" or "thank you" to someone.

Primarily, the verb yadah is used in three ways. First, it is used of confessing one's sin, individually or nationally (e.g., Lev 16:21; Num 5:7). Second, it is used to describe a person making public confession or declaration of God's attributes and works. The third usage is that which conveys man's praise of man.

It is the second usage that is most pertinant to our day of Thanksgiving, that is, confessing or declaring God's attributes and works. This, of course, is at the heart of what it means to "praise God," to publicly declare Who He is, and what He has done. This is especially the case when the person making the declaration has experienced God's mercy, grace, and help in his or her own life. Indeed, of the 113 times the verb is found in the Tanach, 67 of them are found in the Psalms. Many of these are the personal words of praise to God by the Psalmist for what God has done for him. For example: "Adonai is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him" (Ps 28.7). The point is that in the Tanach, the verb that is most often translated to "thank" or "give thanks" may not mean that, exactly. As Westermann notes: "In the Old Testament... there is as yet no verb that means only “to thank.” Yadah, which is usually translated as “to thank,” is not used in the Old Testament a single time for an expression of thanks between men. Thus it is clear from the start that this hodah (the hifil imperative form of yadah) cannot be equated with our “to thank,” which can be directed equally to God and to man" [TWOT, "Yadah"]. What we learn from this is that "thanksgiving" should be considered as an aspect of praise, and that to give proper thanks to God is to 1) acknowledge HIs attributes and works in truth, and 2) to willingly confess publicly how one has experienced these in his or her own life.

For those of us who will gather in homes on "Thanksgiving Day," sharing a bountiful meal, plenty of joy, and friendship, may our hearts be raised in true praise (which equals "thanks") for all that HaShem has done for us!