The Earth Cries Out
Shoftim is the name of the next Torah Portion on the menu, and it means “Judges”. You can read about this portion in Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. The idea of choosing righteous judges to establish a just society is essential, and goes all the way back to the days of creation. On the fourth day of creation, […]
False Prophets
Deuteronomy 13:1-3: If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—’ and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the […]
Unrighteousness-Revamped
Va’etchanan is the next Torah portion found in Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. Va’etchanan means, “I entreated” because Moses begged the Holy One to let him enter the Promised Land, to no avail. The enemy I would like to uncover in this portion is unrighteousness. Righteousness is a pervasive theme in the Bible. My parents raised me in […]
Kings and Kingdoms
Devarim means ‘words’ in Hebrew. It is the name of the first Torah portion and the Book of Deuteronomy, the last Book in the Torah. I will focus on an enemy that shows up in every portion from the beginning to the honking end of the Bible, and that is kings. Kings played an essential […]
I Swear
Matot and Masei are a double whammy this year. The two Torah portions combine to give us a powerful ending to the Book of Numbers. Starting in chapter 30:1, there is a lot to unpack. What begins our final narrative is an explanation of vows or oaths and their consequences. There is a book called […]
The Fowlers
Here we are in yet another great catastrophe for the Hebrew nation. The next Torah portion in review is Pinchas, named after one of Aaron’s descendants who made peace between Israel and God by taking a decisive action demonstrating his zeal for the Heavenly Father. Enemies that lace this Torah portion are idolatry, once again, […]
Perverse Path
I briefly mentioned in this blog how I believe the Nephilim are the product of a partnership between the spiritual leaders and the rulers or influential people from the nations. In the next Torah Portion, Balaam and Balak are an example of such a pact that gathered to curse Israel and succeeded by causing the […]
Mourning
There are multiple enemies in the next Torah portion under review, labeled Chukat, meaning “statute”. From Numbers 19:1-22:1, we read about purification laws for the priesthood, making impurity a type of enemy. Moses’s failure to sanctify the Name of the Holy One proved to be adversarial and kept Moses from entering the Promised Land. We […]
False Accusations
Korah and his infamous rebellion are the focus of the next Torah portion, named after the leader of the rebellious group. This portion is significant as it provides a profound lesson on the consequences of false accusations and the importance of humility in the face of injustice. You can read about this story in Numbers […]
Testing God
The ten spies and their ominous report of the Promised Land have left a lasting impression on Judaism. God instructs Moses to send a leader from each of the twelve tribes to scout the land of Canaan. While some argue that it was the people of Israel who requested the spies, and the Holy One […]