Leviticus 25 - Jubilee Calendar Quiet Book Page

In Leviticus chapter 25, God explains the Jubilee cycle.

Memory Verse: "‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family." Leviticus 25:8-10 (NKJV).

 

Materials needed to create the Jubilee Calendar quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet - I used hot pink
• my free Leviticus 25 - Jubilee Calendar Bible Quiet Book Page Template Pattern
• 16 silver grommets with a 3mm diameter
• hole punch / grommet tool
• 1mm black elastic
• 42 wood coloured beads, 7 blue beads, and 1 yellow/gold bead - I bought these (not an affiliate link)
• small flat button

Punch holes and insert grommets in your background sheet using the template as a guide (where the x's are marked) - see the video tutorial in the difficulty level section below. 

Thread the black elastic through the holes in rows, adding beads as you go. The beads should be in seven rows of seven beads (six wooden and one blue for the six working years and the seventh year of rest) followed by a single yellow/gold bead to represent the Jubilee year. Since I wanted to save elastic, I threaded the elastic through the nearest hole rather than going to the start of the next row. That meant I had to add every second row of beads in the reverse order.

Ensure the elastic is pulled so it is not too loose on the front and cut it to the appropriate length to allow you to tie it off nicely. Thread the elastic ends through the button and tie them together in a tight knot to prevent the knot from moving to the front of the page.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sewing involved.

A very easy quiet book page!

You can watch the below video by Irina Sorokina from My Craft / Quiet books to see how to install grommets.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Leviticus 25 - the Jubilee year represents Eternity and what God is going to do for us - set us free, restore us to our families and give us our land back
• Counting - count seven lots of seven years until the 50th year - the Jubilee
• Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
• Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Leviticus 25

Devotional

The Jubilee is such good news! I believe it represents eternity on the New Earth, when we will all be released from slavery, returned to our families and given land to inherit. The Jubilee year follows seven lots of seven year "weeks", where the land was given a rest every seventh year. It was not to be sewn and grape vines were not to be pruned, etc. This would rejuvenate the land, and God promised that if they would keep the Sabbath rest for the land every seventh year, that He would bless the harvest in the sixth year so there would be enough to feed everyone for three years (which would of course last until the harvest came in in the first year of a new Jubilee cycle, with a Jubilee resulting in two Sabbath years rest for the land in a row). This was reported to have occurred during the reign of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:29).

Although the first day of the seventh month (on the religious calendar) is New Year's day on the civil calendar, the Jubilee is not announced until Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), which is ten days later. I'm not quite sure why that is yet, but I'm sure there is a reason. Nevertheless, I can certainly see the contrast the God is intending announcing a Jubilee celebration on a day of traditional fasting. And He does state that the four major fast days will be turned into joyous occasions (Zechariah 8:19) - and what more joy could you have than when set free from slavery, returned to your family, and given an inheritance?

Ron Kenoly - Jubilee (Official Live Video)

I have previously explained my reasons for believing that the Jubilee is the 50th year (and not the same as the 49th year as some people propose) in my Time to Celebrate: Jubilee Bead Cycle tutorial (plus bracelet craft) for the High Holidays post. 

Most people would have only experienced one Jubilee in their lifetime, at least only one that they remember. It is the countdown to restoration. Ultimately, the land belongs to God, and He divided the land between the tribes of Israel. Because the land belongs to God, it was not allowed to be sold permanently. At the Jubilee, if you had sold your land sometime during the 49 years, you would get it back. The price of the sale was to reflect the amount of time remaining until the Jubilee (if there were many years, the sale price would be more than if there were only a few years left). The family that the land had been given to always had the right to buy their land back (called redeeming it), with the price again reflecting how many years were left until the Jubilee. An example of this might be the story of Naomi and Ruth, where Naomi's husband sold his land because of a drought, and when Naomi and Ruth returned, Boaz became their Redeemer. Not only did he have to marry Ruth, but I imagine he would have paid the price due on their land. 

It seems that Sabbath rests for the land were not often kept, since the children of Israel were required to go into captivity for 70 years to allow the land to have it's rest (2 Chron. 36:21)! 

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What does the Jubilee mean to you? Comment below!

Time to Celebrate: Jubilee Bead Cycle tutorial (plus bracelet craft) for the High Holidays

Often I have ideas brewing in my head for a long time. I've been thinking about the Jubilee Cycle for quite a while now, but when I saw this How the Church tells time post pinned on Pinterest, it immediately sparked the idea to make a floor or coffee-table sized Jubilee Bead Cycle.

In Bible terms, years are measured in seven year blocks called weeks. The seventh year in each block was to be a Sabbath for the land - it was not to be ploughed or planted. Seven lots of seven year blocks (49 years) was followed by a 50th year known as the Jubilee (Yovel in Hebrew). This was a complete cycle. The Jubilee was supposed to see any slaves go free and land sold during the 49 years return to the rightful owners as it was granted to by God after the conquest of Canaan. It is also a picture of what will happen on the New Earth.

I think this could be an appropriate craft for either Rosh Hashanah / Feast of Trumpets or Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement. The civil New Year starts on Rosh Hashanah, but a Jubilee Year is not formally announced until ten days later on Yom Kippur. And whilst Yom Kippur is generally not a fun holiday but rather a solemn fast, when a Jubilee is announced, it cannot help but be celebrated - slaves were to go free, land and property returned to the original owners as given by God, and families were reunited. I believe Jesus is coming again to announce the ultimate Jubilee.

How to make a Jubilee / Yovel Bead Cycle

I bought a large pack of 25mm round wooden beads - you will need 50.

Paint seven beads in one colour to represent the Sabbath years and paint one bead in another colour to represent the Jubilee year. I threaded them onto skewers and cut a 'v' shape into cardboard boxes to lay them in whilst painting and drying them. Round things can be tricky to paint and dry without getting them stuck or the paint uneven.

You can use polish or varnish to seal your beads if you like. I chose to leave mine so I can write Bible references on them if I want to later (which I have talked about at the end of this post).

Once dry, thread them on to a long piece of 2mm elastic in the following order:

• 6 plain wooden beads, 1 painted Sabbath bead
• 6 plain wooden beads, 1 painted Sabbath bead
• 6 plain wooden beads, 1 painted Sabbath bead
• 6 plain wooden beads, 1 painted Sabbath bead
• 6 plain wooden beads, 1 painted Sabbath bead
• 6 plain wooden beads, 1 painted Sabbath bead
• 6 plain wooden beads, 1 painted Sabbath bead
• 1 painted Jubilee bead

Tie the ends of the elastic together and trim.

Finished!

Of course, we are also planning to make a quiet book page out of this idea too... 

So we have made a practice one already.

Some people believe that the Jubilee year was actually the same year as the last year of the 49th year, or it overlaps the last half of the 49th year and the first half or the 1st year. They think the Jubilee disrupts the seven year Sabbath cycle and interpret Jesus' parable of the fig tree to relate to Israel in the last days and the dating of the last seven years of Daniel's prophecy which they believe have been cut of and delayed until just prior to Jesus' second coming.

I disagree because:

1. The Bible specifically says "the fiftieth year"
2. Pentecost follows a similar pattern, with the celebration occurring on the fiftieth day following a period of seven weeks
3. The meaning of the word Jubilee relates to a period of 50 years. The Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee did not mean she had been ruling for 49 years!
4. Jesus' parable of the fig tree related to the dating of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, which I hope to discuss in further detail in a future post
5. The last week of Daniel's prophecy was not cut off, it was an accurate prophecy of the Death of Jesus our Messiah (who was the one cut off - not the week). This is the historical view of this prophecy if you want to look it up in the mean time, but it should also be the topic of a future post.
6. Including a fiftieth year into a cycle also rounds the seven year cycles up so that they continue to fit nicely into thousand year blocks, ensuring that sets of years remain fitting within a millennium. It is also consistent with the Millennial Day Theory where each day of creation represents a millennium of Earth's history. As Peter says - one day is like a thousand years to the LORD. It allows even measurements of years throughout the ages (an age is 2000 years). There are three ages, then the Sabbath millennium. 
7. I believe the Jubilee follows the Sabbath and interrupts the Sabbath Year Cycle in order to represent Eternity

We also made a Jubilee Bead Cycle bracelet, which could be used as a follow-up craft for a Bible Class after the kids see the larger version for the story. I panicked a little when I took this photo because I thought for a moment that I had put the beads on in the wrong order. I didn't, it just needs to be flipped over! And the elastic to be trimmed...

I am thinking of writing Bible verses on each wooden bead which can be talked about in order when showing the kids (and adults). I think us adults learn through visual stimuli just as much as the kids...

There are so many examples of seven year periods in the Bible:

• Jacob working for Rachel, Leah, and his flocks
• Pharaoh's dreams of the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine
• Solomon's Temple took seven years to build
• The wicked queen Athaliah reigned six years and they were set free from her on the Sabbath
• Daniel's seventy weeks (works out to 10 Jubilee cycles)
• Hezekiah records a harvest lasting three years (probably over a Jubilee)... 
• and I haven't looked into events that might have lasted 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 or 50 years yet!

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Have you made any other Rosh Hashanah / Feast of Trumpets or Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement crafts? Let me know below!

Shabbat Quiet Book - Interview with Valerie Rose

Today I would like to introduce you to Valerie Rose and her Shabbat Quiet Book. I believe learning through play is the best way to learn and this adorable book is a great way to learn about Sabbath.

Carissa D:  Welcome Valerie! Please explain a little about yourself and your quiet book adventures.

Valerie: Hi Carissa,

I am a Wife, mother of 2 adult children and now a grandmother as well as a Midwife 4 days a week!!

I have been sewing and stitching since I was a small child but now I have the delight of sewing and creating for my granddaughter Ella who will be 2 in March. She brings me such joy and my love for her grows each day I see her. She loves playing with a box of felt and ribbon offcuts and various empty cotton spools I have saved for her. She loves the different textures so fingers crossed she has my passion for fabric crafts and sewing.

I am privileged to look after Ella every Monday while my daughter works. I have made her several quiet books already which she loves. They are full of texture and zips and removeable pieces. Most of them have a small animal outline hiding in the pages in a subtle colour for her to find and prolong the enjoyment of the book. For example, her beach book has seahorses and her Farm book has rabbits. Some pages also have crinkle plastic inside and even animal toy squeakers. It has been a great way to use my cherished scraps of fabric.

In this Shabbat Book I have sewn 10 cat faces throughout the book for her to find.

I try to personalise each book for her but hopeful one day there will be other little people to enjoy them as well.

Carissa D: I am a Sabbath keeper, so perhaps that is why I love your book so much. To me, Sabbath is special because God commands me to rest. I have a very valid guilt-free excuse not to study/work/clean the house that day! Where did the idea come from to create your Shabbat Quiet Book?

Valerie:   I come from a Jewish Family and growing up we always had Shabbat every Friday Night. It wasn’t a strictly religious night but I remember my father would bring home a block of chocolate for us to share while we played card games as a family after dinner.

Valerie's daughter on Shabbat - way back when!

My daughter married a lovely guy who is not Jewish and I am very careful not to push my beliefs on him and my Granddaughter Ella. Because Ella’s mother is Jewish Ella is as well by her birth right!

When my son and daughter were little we did not celebrate Christmas, instead we celebrated the 8 nights of Chanukah. I made them a large very simple Felt Menorah wall hanging with removable candle flames. To this day my daughter still tells me how much she loved it and looked forward to Chanukah every year.

In December my daughter asked us to come to her home for Chanukah and Shabbat for the first time! She has decided Ella is old enough now to have some Jewish input in her life. I was delighted of course and excited. I instantly knew I wanted to make her a special Shabbat Book, and so I did!

Carissa D:  My favourite part of your book has to be your Kiddush Cups. You achieved such a good effect with the fabric choice and embroidery. What is your favourite section?

Valerie: I actually love the whole book! I was delighted how it turned out! My favourite page would be the inside cover of special Shabbat Fabric. This fabric has sat in my stash for over 25 years just waiting for the perfect project. And this was it!

Shabbat fabric Valerie had been stashing

Carissa D:  I love it when you find the perfect use for that thing you have been saving. That is what happened with my Psalm 46 - Be Still and Know that I Am God Tea Set Quiet Book Page. The herb fabric made great tea bags!

The herb frabric I had been stashing - made into tea bags

Carissa D:  How did you create this book? Did you make your own templates? 

Valerie:  The book is mostly created using machine embroidery files I have brought. See the list below for crediting:

• Bunnycup Embroidery - Flowers, Dove, Heart
• Embroidery Online - Moon
• tmmdesigns on Etsy - Candle Flames
• 4-Hobby.com - Candlesticks, Wine Goblet and Challah
• Secretsof - SewAZ Embroidery - Cat Face was from the C Block of the ABC Crazy Quilt Pattern

The words I made on my Embroidery Machine. 

I stitched the designs for the pages on a Black Cotton fabric as I really like the contrast.

The removable appliques were stitched on felt then backed with felt to hide the messy side. For the flowers I added a small ribbon for a leaf.

The Wine Goblet, Challah and Challah Cloth have a cat face hiding underneath.

Carissa D:  I would like to take a moment to thank you for your generosity in sharing the embroidery files you made for the words of this book - here attached in .jef format for Janome machines:

• On Friday Night.
• When the Sun Sets.
• We light 2 Candles.
• We Bless The Wine.
• We Bless The Bread.
• Shabbat Shalom Everyone.

Carissa D:  How long do you estimate that you spent on this whole quiet book from concept to completion? 

Valerie:  The book probably took me 2 days to make. There was quite a bit of hand sewing involved in finishing the removeable pieces.

Carissa D: Wow! That sounds amazingly quick to me! Is that normal for a book made using an embroidery machine?

Valerie:  Some take longer but this one just worked out really easily. Her other books have more details like zips and ribbons and buttons.

Carissa D:  When will your Havdallah quiet book be coming out?!! Do you have plans to make a Biblical Festivals quiet book?!!

Valerie:  Haha! No plans for a Havdallah book yet but I am planning one for Passover and then one for Chanukah later this year. But first I want to make another Shabbat Book to keep at my house!

Carissa D:  I am waiting with baited breath!

Carissa D:  Which is your favourite Faith and Felt Obsession post and why?

Valerie: My favourite post has to be the Car Travel Dice!

This has inspired me to make a travel snakes and ladders or similar for holidays and picnics as well as to help Ella with counting.

Carissa D:  That sounds like an awesome idea! I would 💖 to see it when it is finished.

Tahlia with her Car Travel Dice

Carissa D: How old is your Granddaughter and how does she enjoy finding the 10 hidden cats in this busy book? Do you find that they distract her from the message of the book, or do they ensure the book is loved beyond measure? 

Valerie:  Ella was just over 19 months when I gave her this book. On the Candle page she immediately took the two flames and put them on the candles on the next page! She was very quick to detach all the pieces. With the wine and the bread she was also able to feed her “baby”. As most of her Fabric books I have made her have hidden animal outlines she loves to look for them. I believe she loves it even more as it is personalised just for her. She always “reads” the book first then goes back to find the cats. 

Carissa D:  What a sweetie!

Carissa D: Lastly, How did you bind the book and are you happy with the method?

Valerie:  First I decide how many pages I will have, always an even number, plus front and back cover.

Then I cut a small oblong from scrap interfacing to represent 2 pages.

Then I pin them together to make a book.

On each page I would then write what will be on it.

Once done I can unpin the book and see the true page stitch map.

Once stitched etc iron on interfacing is applied and the 2 pages are sewn together right side fabric facing inside then trimmed and turned right way out and the small gap is hand sewed or if I am lazy a top stitch all around the double page. 

Finally the pages are stacked on top of each other in the correct order and several lines are stitched down the centre to form the book. 

This way works best for me at the moment. This book has 3 double pages which gives me 12 single pages to decorate and works very well but there would be room for more! 

Carissa D:  Thank you so much for sharing with us Valerie. Once again, your Shabbat quiet book is lovely and I hope it will be an inspiration to many as it has been to me. Terrific job!

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Do you use an embroidery machine to help make your quiet books? Has this book inspired you to make your own creation? Comment below!

Magnificent Butterfly Resurrection Easter Bonnet

Although PanPanic ensured there was no Easter Hat Parade at school this year, they still held an Easter Hat Slideshow.

And we did our own parade at home.

Why we made the Butterfly Resurrection Easter Hat

As always we take the opportunity to both learn about Jesus' sacrifice and develop faith-sharing skills. I think it is important to practice sharing your faith from a young age. There are too many who shy away from proclamations - but I want to make sure Tahlia grows up to be bold and unashamed of the Gospel.

This year our Easter bonnet featured an empty tomb with a myriad of butterflies. Butterflies have long been a symbol of the resurrection because caterpillars seem to die in their cocoons and emerge shortly thereafter possessing a far superior body. We included so many butterflies as Jesus' resurrection gives us the reassurance that He is able to do the same for anyone who places their hope and trust in him.

Inside the tomb we see what Mary saw described in John chapter 20. I have heard that the angels sitting at either end of the stone where Jesus had been laid are supposed to remind you of the Ark of the Covenant which had two angels on top with their wings touching each other. On top of the ark between the angels was called the Mercy Seat and this was where the Shekinah Glory of God's presence shone. We tried to emulate this in a way, but the light was also supposed to give the impression of angels rejoicing and reflecting the angel-party mood I imagine was going on in Heaven despite the disbelief and grief on Earth.

How we made the Butterfly Resurrection Easter Hat

Two of my favourite butterflies

This video gives the basic gist of how we made the base of our butterflies from pipe-cleaners, although we did make a few changes. Next we wrapped the wings in lace and secured it with hot glue. We also added beads to the ends of their feelers. I knew we would need a lot, so we started making these well before Christmas, but even so we did get a bit of help from some friends to make so many. Tahlia hot glued all bar one of the little ones in place and did an excellent job don't you think?

How to Make Pipe Cleaner Butterfly Rings 

by One Little Project

We had one little one left over so she did wear it as a ring.

The large butterfly on top was also made from pipe-cleaners and wrapped in lace.

We started the layers from the outside edges first so that each layer overlapped the next without getting in the way.

This hat is the third in a series where we have re-used the same paper mache hat we made in Kindergarten.  After removing last years beautiful felt flowers we gave it a quick vacuum to remove the dust and debris.

This year we enclosed the arch/doorway from the last two years to form the empty tomb. We marked where we wanted the tomb to go to and used plastic shopping bags to pack the space to be filled. Then we covered that section with three or so more layers of paper mache before removing the shopping bags and covering from the inside as well.

We also marked the edge of the entrance to the tomb on paper and formed a base for the stone out of cardboard cereal box. This got covered with layers of paper mache too.

The tomb and stone were painted inside and out in white by Tahlia, and I touched up the sky and grass after the damage done by removing the felt flowers from last year.

I had been hoping to find a frosted plastic box in a jewelry store but had no luck. Happily, and perhaps Providentially, we attended a wedding a few weeks before the hat had to be finished. The wedding favours came in a perfectly sized white box with a transparent lid. I managed to take a photo for you with one chocolate left in there before they all got demolished. Each box had two chocolates inside originally!

After removing the divider, three LED rings fit exactly inside the box - we bought this 6 pcs LED Rubber Rings from AliExpress (not an afiliate link). I bought extra in case some did not work and I'm glad I did as all the rest broke very quickly. The box is fixed in place with blu-tak so it can be removed to allow the rings to be turned on and off.

The angels were bought from a craft store but I have seen similar in dollar stores too - they were hot glued in place.

See the other Easter Hats in this Trilogy

1. Hosanna! Palm Sunday Easter Bonnet - focuses on Praising Jesus' ability to save
2. Spectacular Spring Lamb Easter Bonnet - focuses on the first Passover and the Cross
3. Magnificent Butterfly Resurrection Easter Bonnet - this one!

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I would love to see and share your Christian themed Easter Hats!

DIY Beaded Yad (Torah Pointer)

I am in need of a toy yad for an upcoming quiet book page, but was unable to find one for sale. Real yads are very expensive, so I decided I would have to find a way to make one. I did consider using polymer clay, but when I thought of this beaded idea it stuck. These are so easy to make that your kids can do it!

A yad is a Torah pointer used to read scripture scrolls without damaging the parchment. The Hebrew word 'yad' literally means 'hand'.

carloriccardi, Parashat Noah, CC BY 2.0

Materials Needed to Make a DIY Beaded Yad:

Long silver pipe cleaner
Pointing hand silver bead - available from here (not an affiliate link)
Decorative beads - with about a 2mm hole
Bend your pipe cleaner in half and thread on your pointing hand bead. Twist the pipe cleaner together to hold the bead tightly in place. Thread decorative beads over both ends of the pipe cleaner until you get close to the end. 

To finish:

1.  Use jewelry pliers to roll up the ends of the pipe cleaner to secure... or
2.  You could try placing a bead sideways at the end and thread the ends of the pipe cleaner through from either side. Twist to hold in place under the last bead. You can thread a ribbon through the last bead hole if you want a way to secure it to a book or scroll.

DIY Beaded Yad / Torah Pointer - Short Version

DIY Beaded Yad / Torah Pointer - Detailed Version

Done!

Now you can enjoy reading Torah!

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Hearing from you gives me great encouragement!

Comment below - which number yad is your favourite?

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Which number Yad (Torah Pointer) is your favourite?

Menorah felt board play set for Hanukkah

Since it is Hanukkah right now, I decided to make a felt board play set and share with my readers how to do it. So here it is: how to make a menorah felt board play set for Hanukkah!

Menorah Felt Board Play Set

Felt sticks to itself, so you can make movable pictures for kids to play with and rearrange repeatedly. Normally I double my felt to make it strong, but not for this project as I didn't want it to be too heavy and fall off the felt board.

Hanukkah celebrates a miracle which occurred during the time in between the writing of the old and new testaments.

Basically, the temple had been defiled by the Greeks who were ruling over the Jews at the time. They were being massacred and reading the scriptures was outlawed. The Jews ran a successful revolt, and rededicated the temple to God even though they only had enough undefiled olive oil to last one day in the temple seven-branched candlestick. It was never supposed to go out, and one day's supply of oil miraculously lasted eight days - enough time to secure an ongoing supply. To read a more detailed story click here.

So, why are there nine candles on the Hanukkah menorah when the oil only lasted eight days? I believe the taller candle called the Shamash, or servant, represents Jesus, see Isaiah 53:11 and John 8:12.  It is used to light all the others. Of course this is not the meaning attributed to it by Judaism. Click here for their explanation.

John records that Jesus went to the temple at the time of Hanukkah, John 10:22-23. Since it celebrates being set free from earthly oppressors, the Pharisees used it as another opportunity to chide Jesus about whether He was really the Messiah... and He responded that they didn't recognise Him because they didn't know His voice. As this is the only place where the Good Shepherd is mentioned, I cannot leave that out and will not be focusing on Hanukkah in that chapter of the Bible quiet book project.  I think :)

The candles are lit from right to left in the same way that Hebrew is read from right to left. Ascension Ministries have a heap of good ideas on how to celebrate Hanukkah in a New Testament way!

Find a free template of the Hanukkah menorah felt board play set I made here!

Check out my post on How to Make a Felt Board.

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Does this look fun to you?