Torah Portions

I have yet to meet anyone claiming this Torah portion as their favorite because it contains curses. Tell us about blessings all day, but curses are for the birds. We will interrupt our regular programing of re-creation patterns to talk about a de-creation pattern. Let’s closely examine Leviticus 26.  Day One: In the Torah portion Vayetzei, […]

Here we are, knee-deep in Leviticus, the heart of the Torah. Leviticus is where people who do not understand the Ancient Near East culture try to invalidate Judaism as an inhumane religion. If you wanted to judge Judaism based on its cultic practices, you would have to consider the traditions of the surrounding nations.   The […]

What a fantastic Torah portion this is! I want to take you on a simple walk through the growth of a tree since this is the imagery God uses to describe His kingdom. Day One-A seed is planted. Day Two- The seed coat and endosperm dies, so to speak, giving its nutrients so that the embryo […]

  We are quickly approaching what seems to me to be a recreation pattern in the annual moedim given to us in Leviticus 23. On the fourth day, the luminaries are in the heavens for ot and moed. Moed is the Hebrew word often translated as season. However, an appointed time is a better definition. […]

This story shows just how good God is. I was at my Torah Club class, a weekly dive into the Torah Portions put on by First Fruits of Zion. What do you know, one of the teachers, Aaron Eby, starts talking about how the work of the tabernacle mirrors the creation pattern. My ears perked […]

We will take a little pause in our Torah Portion to talk about a new beginning found in the story of Purim which is found in the book of Esther. I love the story of Purim, the salvation of Israel by the hand of Esther and Mordechai. Let’s take a walk through the Megillah to […]

Here is a fourth new beginning found in Exodus, and the fact that it is the fourth one is just perfect! If we look carefully at the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, we will find a re-creation pattern. Out of Israel, a Kingdom of Priests is born. They are to be a light […]

You thought we were done with the new beginnings in Exodus, but heck no, we are not. Here is a wildly wonderful new beginning. It begins with the Pesach (Passover) Lamb and ends with the nation of Israel being born. Let us begin. One Day– The reason we connect the blood of the Lamb to […]

In Shemot or Exodus, we have the Feast of Passover in a beautiful new creation pattern. The word beginning should point us to the first day of creation.   Day One– Genesis 1:1: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Exodus 12:1-2: The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, […]

Here we are in the Exodus, Shemot in Hebrew. Shemot is one of my very favorite books in the Torah. There will be multiple new beginnings in this book. So exciting! Moses is quite a guy. One of a kind. The entire nation of Israel is immersed in Moses (1 Cor 10.2). That is pretty […]