Just like most Jewish synagogues everywhere we read through the Torah each year. The Torah portions are listed here and you will also see a drash(short teaching) from each. As the years and months go on the drash will be more and more complete, we pray it will be a blessing to your life yielding fruit just like Etz Chaim (“Tree of life”). “It is a tree of life to those who take hold of it and happy are those who support it. Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace”.
Weekly Parsha by David Friedman, former academic dean of King of Kings College in Jerusalem, holds a Ph.D. in Judaic studies and an M.A. in Arabic.
Author of They Loved the Torah
A well-informed discussion which will help New Covenant believers think about the place of Torah in their lives."
David Stern--author and translator of the Jewish New Testament and Commentary, theComplete Jewish Bible, and other Messianic Jewish books
Today’s parasha is "Mishpatim” ("Laws that have a Heavenly source”), and is Exodus 21.1-24.18. Chapter 22, verse 31 expresses WHY God gave these laws to Israel.
"You are to be my holy people” (NIV). That is a powerful and revealing verse. God chose Jacob and his descendants to be a nation that reflects His righteousness, a light to the dark world of idolatry that was around them. But this could only be done if, as a nation, there was a national lifestyle that allowed God’s love and mercy to show. 22.20 lays the foundation for God’s righteous nation—no idolatry!
"Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed.” And again: "Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.” (23.13).
The foundation of the nation was to worship the One God and Him only. Other important national priorities that were given to ... >>full
"Yitro” (Jethro) is our reading for this Sabbath. Ex. 18.1-20:23.
A volley of my favorite verses in all of the Torah occurs in chapter 19. So we will focus on Exodus 19, verses 4-6. Verse 4 states: "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.” These words describe the event of the exodus from Egypt. What does it mean that Israel was carried on "eagles’ wings” and then "brought to God?” Dr. Aviva Zornberg, an Israeli bible commentator, wrote: "This idiom (‘on eagle’s wings’) creates a conception of intimacy, protection, love and speed.” Certainly a mother eagle exhibits all of these qualities when she transports her young. God definitely exhibited eagle-like qualities in delivering Israel from Egyptian slavery!
I remember waiting outdoors for a cab to the airport a few years back. It was winter, and in the middle ... >>full
Today’s reading is "Beshelach” (in the "sending forth”, or "exodus”), and is Exodus 13.17-17.16. Immediately we see that Israel had to take a route out of Egyptian influence that was NOT the easiest, nor quickest, route home. Now think about that: centuries of slavery had just ended, the entire nation was poised and ready to make a bee-line into the Land of their Fathers. So, why the following verses?
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. ... >>full
Today’s parasha was "Bo” ("Come”, consisting of Exodus 10.1-13.16). It is the story of the last two plagues, and the leaving of Egypt. We talked about many different aspects of this narrative in our study this morning. I want to focus in on just one little point in this incredible recounting of the exodus.
Exodus 10 tells us about the eighth plague: locusts. Sometimes it’s hard for a biblical narrative to seem real to us. Living here for the better part of 32 years has helped make so much of the Bible very real to us.
v. 14: And the locust swarms came up on the land of Egypt, and spread out on the borders of Egypt; it was a very heavy swarm. There had never been a locust swarm like it, neither before it nor after it.
v. 15: They covered the heartland of the entire nation, darkening the land, and ... >>full
Today’s parasha is entitled "Shemot”
("Names”), which is the Hebrew name for the book of Exodus. And so our
scripture portion is Exodus 1.1-6.1. In it, we read of the enslavement
of Israel, of the early life and calling to Moses, and the foundation is
set for the story of the exodus from Egypt. What a jam-packed parasha!
There is an outstanding reminder in today’s parasha about God’s faithfulness. It is found in chapter 2: "So
God heard and acted upon their groaning; then He remembered His
covenant with Avraham, Isaac and Yakov. So God saw the people of Israel,
and God knew (all about their situation)”, 2.24-25, my translation.
What was it that God remembered, which appears to have motivated Him to carry out the liberation ...
