Brianna’s Musings

The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace. -Mother Teresa Avinu Malkeinu (My Father, My King), Just as You called Abraham, you have called each one of us. You asked him to trust […]

She prays and still falls apart some days. She prays and still finds herself taking the wrong turns. She prays and still battles with anxiety, depression, loneliness, overthinking, pain, grief, and exhaustion. She prays, and still isn’t (entirely) healed. She prays, and still forgets her value. She prays and still makes mistakes. She prays and […]

“True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.” – Charles Spurgeon Avinu Malkeinu, (my Father and my King) You are the Creator of all things, the good, the bad, and the ugly(Is […]

The Torah Portion found in Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25 is named Eikev, translated as ‘because’ or ‘if’, but is also a word for ‘heel’. The heel is a part of our body that often receives little attention. Yet, it plays a crucial role in walking, which, in my last blog, I explained as halakah —the way we […]

Behar, meaning “On Mount Sinai,” is the next Torah Portion we will glean from. Leviticus 25:1-26:2 is where we read about the Shemitah, the year of release, and the Jubilee, also known as the Yovel. The word Sh’mitah means “suspension” and has the root letters shin mem tov (tet) which can translate into “to drop” […]

Our last one-way chat was about what I believe to be the primary focus of the Bible, which is cleansing the human heart from deceit and crookedness. It is no happenstance, then, that the next Torah Portion in review is about Yom-Day Kippur-Covering, also known as the Day of Atonement, which is the Holiest day […]

Richard Horsley is a leading Bible scholar on the book of Mark, and in his book, Hearing The Whole Story: The Politics of Plot in Mark’s Gospel, he describes the main story in the synoptic gospels of a “demoniac” as an ironic play on the effects of Roman oppression. When wicked rulers oppress their subjects, they […]

Revelation 12:7-9: And war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels making war against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, but they were not strong enough, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down—the ancient serpent called the devil and satan, who […]

I love, love Jacob’s story. It is most likely reminiscent of most of our stories. Esau could represent the earthly part of humanity, and Jacob the spiritual nature. In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make man in Our image.” Many Christian commentators try to make this verse about the Trinity, while some Rabbis say […]

A recent community study through the Gospels using the Bema Discipleship Podcast has brought some clarification for me. In one of the podcasts (Season 3, Episode 75) Mr. Solomon credits Alexander the Great with establishing this sort of New World Order, in which he uses education, healthcare, a strong army, and entertainment to create a […]