Parashat VaYakhel, Is there hope in the mitzvot?
God gifted certain men to be involved in the construction of the Mishkhan (Tabernacle).
Shemot / Exodus 36:1 ‘Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every
skillful person in whom the Lord has put skill and understanding to know ho...
Parashat Ki Tisa, Have you relied upon your own strength or upon the Lord who strengthens you?
In this week’s reading, taking a census of the sons of Yisrael is considered a sin according to the
Torah that leads to a plague that would break out amongst the people.
Shemot / Exodus 30:12 ‘When you take a censu...
Parashat Tetzaveh, "The Menorah Illustrates our Relationship with God."
The Triennial reading cycle for this week (
Shemot / Exodus 27:20 – 28:30) details the construction of the priestly
garments and that the sons of Yisrael are to bring clear oil beaten from olives to be used
to keep the menorah...
Parashat Terumah, "The genuine man of faith."
In this week’s reading, the Lord speaks to Moshe saying
Shemot / Exodus 25:2 ‘Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me;
from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. … 2...
Parashat Mishpatim, Selling ourselves into slavery by the work of sin.
This week’s reading,
Shemot / Exodus 21:3-22:3, discusses how a man is to treat his slaves if he is a slave
owner. The Scriptures detail selling one’s self, selling one’s daughter,
and treating slaves fairly....
Parashat Yitro, Seeking and Listening to Wise Counsel.
In this week’s reading, Shemot / Exodus 18:1-27,
Moshe takes the responsibility of solving all the people’s problems. Jethro, Moshe’s
father-in-law, sees how this is affecting Moshe and the people and offers ...
Parasaht Beshalach, Searching for God’s Wisdom
In this week’s reading, Shemot / Exodus 13:17-15:26,
Pharaoh’s army follows the Children of Yisrael into the wilderness to overtake them and bring
them back to Mitzrayim (Egypt). The people feared and blamed Moshe ...
Parashat Bo, Are you beginning to resemble what you are worshiping?
In this week’s reading (Shemot / Exodus 10:1-11:3),
Moshe and Aaron speak to Pharaoh asking to let the people go to worship their God:
Shemot / Exodus 10:3 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘Thus say...
Parashat Va’era, By My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them.
In this week’s reading from the Triennial Cycle (
Shemot / Exodus 6:2-7:7) God says to Moshe in
Shemot / Exodus 6:3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My
name, Lord, I did not make Myself know...
Parashat Shemot: Hope’s Focus.
In the opening verses of Parashat Shemot, we learn that Yoseph (Joseph) dies and Pharaoh decides to
enslave the children of Yisrael (Yaakov) because they feared the multitude of people the children of
Yisrael had become. The S...
Parashat Vayechi, Love, Praise, Worship, and Passion for God
In this week’s Parashah, Parashat Vayechi, Yisrael (Yaakov/Jacob) is dying and Yoseph (Joseph) brings
his two children to Yisrael so that he could bless them before he dies. In the narrative Yisrael
adopts Yoseph’s...
Parashat Vayigash, Holding onto God in the midst of our suffering.
One of the most memorable moments in the Story of Yoseph (Joseph), in this week’s Parsha, Parashat
Vayigash, is when Yoseph wept over his brothers forgiving them of their sin against him.
Bereshit / Genesis 45:2 He...
Parashat Miketz, Remaining Faithful.
Parashat Miketz meaning “at the end” is the second word and the first distinctive word of the Parashah of the
tenth weekly Torah portion in the annual cycle of the Torah reading. The Triennial Cycle portion,
Beresh...
Parashat Vayeshev, The gifts God gives us.
In Parashat Vayeshev, Bereshit / Genesis 37:1-37:36, we read
37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of
his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. 37:4 His brothers saw that their fat...
Parashat Vayishlach, Testing our faith
Times of hardship can test the faith and convictions of all of us. God’s Word in
Parashat Vayishlach recognizes the challenge of testing in Yaakov’s (Jacob’s) life, whether it comes
from fear that resulted fr...
Parashat Vayetze: Yeshua is our ladder to Heaven
In the reading for this week, Parashat Vayetze (“and he went out”),
from Bereshit / Genesis 28:10-22, God gave Yaakov a vision of angels
ascending and descending upon a ladder at a place that is called Luz. Reading...
Parashat Toldot: Birthright, knowledge, and grace.
Bereshit / Genesis 25:29 When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he
was famished; 25:30 and Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.’
Therefore his...
Parashat Chayei Sarah: Being Honest by Remembering God’s Covenant
In this week’s reading from the Triennial cycle (Bereshit / Genesis 23:1-24:9)
in Parashat Chayei Sarah (life of Sarah), there are two very important observations on the life of Avraham, (i) Avraham’s
dealing with the Hi...
Parashat Vayera, The One whom Avraham is speaking to.
Bereshit / Genesis 18:1 Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he
was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 18:2 When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three
men were standing opposite him;...
Parashat Lekh Lekha, Avraham was led by faith.
Bereshit / Genesis 12:4 So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was
seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 12:5 Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all thei...
Parashat Noach, Having trouble hearing the Lord?
Bereshit / Genesis 6:22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. 7:1
Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous
before ...
Parashat V’zot Hab’rachah: The God of the Upright Ones.
In this week’s reading, the last reading for the Jewish Year we find an interesting phrase “the God of Jeshurun”
in Devarim / Deuteronomy 33:26 ‘There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to...
Yom Kippur: "Prepare Your Heart"
We first find the mitzvah (command) to observe this day of atonement in Vayikra / Leviticus 16:1-34
following the story of the death of Aharon’s sons Nadav and Avihu in Parashat Shmini
(see Vayikra / Leviticus 10) and the erra...
