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Writings by Barri Cae Mallin

The Fruit of the Vine - P'ree Hah-geh-fen

Tuesday 25 November 2003 - 13:53:03

Every Friday night at just about sundown, many Jewish families usher in the Sabbath with three prayers blessing
God and thanking Him for:
sanctifying or setting apart the Sabbath, the bread and the fruit of the vine.

This was standard operating procedure in the home that I grew up in. As I left home for college, and work, I
did not continue to this myself until I came to faith in Messiah Yeshua - Jesus, as He showed me its
importance.

Our God is such a neat God - here is a practice that for the most part, only Jewish people do, but it is only
seen in the New Testament. In Matthew 26:27-29, we read:

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them saying,
"Drink from it, all of you; for this is My Blood of the covenant which is
poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that
day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom."

The prayer that Yeshua Jesus recited is:

Ba-rukh Atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech HaOlam, B'ray P'ree Ha-gefen.

Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, who creates the Fruit of the Vine.

It is the same prayer that He also recited in Mark 14:23-25 and Luke 22:17-18. He gave
thanks to God, acknowledging that God creates the fruit of the vine.

My mom is a great tomato grower. Every spring, she begins with seeds from a packet, placing
three seeds in each seedling pot, placing a grow light over the pots, adding the necessary soil,
water, pruning, re-potting and feeding as needed until the baby plants are ready for the outdoors.

In a few weeks, blossoms appear, then the fruit. Now that I live near to my mom, it is a joy
to go over and pick tomatoes. But I never pick tomatoes that are on the ground, those that
have fallen off of the vine. I know that they may not be good fruit. The only good fruit to pick
is that which is still attached to the vine, getting its necessary nourishment until just that
of maturity.

Yeshua said in John 15:5

I am the vine (Ha-gefen), you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him,
he bears much fruit; for apart from Me, you can do nothing.

We bear gorgeous fruit, simply by abiding in Jesus.

I sometimes think of those tomatoes. During storms, sometimes the wind can really blow
those branches over; my mom has a plant with a branch that is parallel to the ground, but
the fruit is attached and is growing well.

If the plants are not watered, this affects their fruit growth. We need the water of the Word,
Yeshua Jesus is the living water, the my-yeem khy-yeem - He pours life into our thirsty soul.
We must drink of Him.

I have never seen a tomato transplant. I have never seen one tomato feeding another tomato
to make it grown Each tomato must be fed individually by the gardener. We need to meet
privately with Yeshua Jesus, there are truths that He wants to pour into us. We need to feed
ourselves individually from Him. I can't rely on your nourishment from Him to feed and satisfy
me - only He can do that - only He satisfies.

The tomatoes that are attached to the vine are pure fruit - they haven't been made into
tomato soup, tomato puree, spaghetti sauce, tomato paste - or whatever. They are the
pure 'unadulterated' fruit. So we, as we are attached to the vine, stay pure.

The tomato has no hands - the vine has it attached to itself. The tomato can't let go
when it wants to. We can't let go, either. We are being held into the vine by the "DI-VINE" -
and that gives me great peace! Through storms, winds, trials - I am glad that the Vine
has got hold of me !

There are many different kinds of tomatoes: Big Boy Beefsteak Cherry Early Girl
Fourth of July there are even grape tomatoes yet, they are all tomatoes.
Each is good fruit in itself. So it is with we, in the Body of
Messiah - we who are many, are one Body in Christ.

You are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Messiah Yeshua Jesus
Himself being the corner stone in Whom the whole building, being fitted together
is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together
into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. Eph.2:20-22

So, although this may be a day early, I would like to wish you Shabbat Shalom,
and thank God for creating you, His fruit of the vine, His p'ree hagefen.