Light In Torah

Over the past four weeks of counting the Omer (welcome, Day 30), we have expanded the biblical definition of grace ( chen ), recognized that God takes pride in His obedient children, understood that salvation is more than asking "Jesus" into your heart, and seen that the blood is definitely a broader topic than the majority of people think. On this 30th day of counting the Omer, I want to state that Yom Kippur has a limit. The  chatat  (sin offering) has a limit. If Yom Kippur (Day of Coverings) could handle everything—if the blood of goats could handle the deep clean, if that could take care of everything, absorb all this rebellion, and keep functioning forever—then we must ask one simple question: "Why did Israel go into exile?" Why would they be eradicated from the land? Why would they be vomited out of the land? If there is a total fix, where is it? This material is going to be very heavy, and the danger of heavy material is easily getting lost along the way. Yo...

With Pentecost—the establishment of the church ( kahal / ekklesia ) (Ex. 19–24) and the renewing of the church (Acts 2)—just a few weeks away, the themes of proximity, intimacy, and renewal come to the foreground. Hence, our studies on Passover, blood, and beyond :-) Today is the 29th day—the 5th week and 1st day—of counting the Omer. And this morning, I want to encourage you to consider marriage to yourself, a paradox that constitutes the very essence of life. Huh? Exactly! Our marriage to our spouse is essentially our  second  marriage. Double huh? All of us experience a first marriage at the moment of birth, when our souls "marry" our bodies and they "move in" together for life. The soul and the body are, at the beginning of their marriage, two opposites: one is physical and focused on physical survival (my body); the other is infinite consciousness, a wave of Divine infinity and oneness, formed by the breath of God (Gen. 2:7). One (at least initially) defines bl...

As we move through the holiness section of Leviticus, the Lord knows, through His righteous commandments, the good ( tov ) we are capable of bringing forth in the world. We have learned that He designed us to serve as His earthly vessels of life ( chayah ), His carriers of glory and worship ( kavod ), His stewards of holiness ( kedushah ), His models of wisdom ( chochmah ), and His vessels of atonement ( kippurim ). Through the first 24 chapters, He has shown us enough of this vision as needed to inspire us to become and behave as set-apart ones ( kedoshim )—and to do it in every room of the house, every booth of the marketplace, and in every break room, lunchroom, conference room, athletic field, school setting, or workstation of our workplace. He wants every aspect of our lives to radiate holiness. Hence, why every Orthodox Jewish family starts training their three- to five-year-old children in the book of holiness—Leviticus ( Vayikra ). He therefore wants to bring holiness into, and...

Blood at the covenant level inaugurates powerful bonds between God and people. Blood at Aaron's ordination transforms one from a common status to a position of holiness. The blood of   tzara'at   (leprosy) purifies from the realm of death to life, reinstating the one separated from the camp (made holy in a negative sense) into the community of common, living, set-apart people. No sin, no substitution. None of them involve punishment. Add to that reality that the blood from a sin offering is  never  used on people—never. These rituals cannot have anything to do with substituting for someone else's death or deserved penalty. And yet, blood remains the most powerful substance in the sacrificial system. When blood touches people, it changes their status, grants them access, and restores relationships.  Blood equals access.  That is the pattern! Is that radically different from the story many people hold regarding Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA)? That limi...

The right ear, right thumb, and right big toe—what an odd place to apply blood (Ex. 29:20; Lev. 14:14, 17, 25, 28)! Do you remember the inauguration of the priesthood (Ex. 29)? Blood was dabbed on Aaron's right ear, his right thumb, and his right big toe—some on the altar. Then blood from the altar was sprinkled on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments. What do we know about that blood? What we do know is that it has nothing to do with sin. It is not a sin sacrifice. It is not an atoning sacrifice. But it  is  an ordination sacrifice. And what it accomplishes is a big, metaphysical transition. What is a metaphysical transition? Before this moment in time, Aaron was common. Now, within a short ceremony, he is holy. Aaron was an ordinary man. After this blood ritual, he is an ordained priest. He can now enter sacred space. He can stand before God in the Tabernacle. Nothing about this aspect of blood has anything to do with sin, but it has changed him into so...

They ate and drank in the presence of God (Ex. 24:10–11): And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink. (Ex. 24:10–11) The blood had already been applied, and the covenant was ratified (Ex. 24:6–8). If you look at what is present in the scene, we have sacrifices: burnt offerings to bring God close, peace offerings for the meal, blood on the altar (God's side), blood on the people (their side), the covenant read and agreed upon, and then the feast. Did you notice what is missing? We have blood, but there is no confession of sin. There is no language of guilt. There is no language of punishment. There is no transfer of penalty. The blood is not paying for anything. But it  is  bonding two parties together. Blood bonding—bringing a covenant inauguration, a marri...

With Passover   Sheni   just a few days away—May 1, 2026—let us refocus on the Passover, which belongs to the well-being offering, the peace offering, sometimes translated as the communion offering and fellowship offering. Did you notice the commonality in all the different names? Every one of these names tells you what the sacrifice is about: relationship, community, celebration, and communion. The Torah tells us that anyone may offer this to God (Num. 15), and within this category there are three different offering types: a vow offering, a free-will offering, and a thanksgiving offering, all eaten as a family. Remember Passover ( Pesach ), the sacrifice, we eat with other like-minded individuals. This makes sense, right? And here is something really important that you may never consider, something that accompanies them: bring grain and wine with these offerings. In other words, we have a complete meal—a protein, a carb, and some fruit of the vine. Metaphorically speaking, Go...

For those who missed Passover on April 1, Scripture makes a special offer for individuals to participate in Passover   Sheni   (Second Passover; Num. 9:7–8), May 1, 2026. We will host a second Passover at Faith Works here in Stanton, Michigan, at 6:30 p.m. (potluck style :-). In this fourth week of counting the Omer—today being the 23rd day—we will take the time to expand our understanding of blood and atonement. Like everything we have done over the past three weeks, there is probably more to the story than tradition has taught us. And like every study at the beginning of the week, I ask for your patience until we get to the very end. And as always, I encourage you to go back and double-check everything because I am susceptible to making mistakes, like anyone else :-). When blood is applied to people in the Torah, it marks a transition from one realm to another, in the direction of greater holiness, greater access, and greater intimacy with God. Blood, associated with the cov...

In the Torah portion,   Kedoshim   ("holiness"), I was reminded of the story of two young fish that were swimming along and happened to meet an older fish swimming upstream in the opposite direction. The older fish nods at them and says, "Morning, boys. How's the water?" The two young fish swim for a bit, and then eventually, one of them looks over at the other and says, "What in the world is water?" The moral of the story is not quite obvious regarding the most important realities of life. The things—including people—that we are surrounded by, all day, every day, are among the realities that are hardest to see, perceive, and understand. As Ricky Ricardo would say on   I Love Lucy , "Let me 'splain." Over the past three weeks of counting the Omer—now day 22—we have reexamined grace and the Passover Lamb (FYI: for those who missed the first Passover, May 1 is Passover  Sheni —Second Passover; Num. 9:6–7 :-). And in last week's Omer cou...

This week's Torah portion,   Acharei Mot   and   Kedoshim , focuses on the commandment to be holy even as He is holy from Leviticus 19:2, as well as 1 Peter 1:15–16: "Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." (Lev. 19:2) "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (1 Pet. 1:15–16) Have you ever asked, "What is the greatest threat to holiness?" Is it a sin? Have you ever considered  permission ? Avoiding what is forbidden is clear. But what about everything you are allowed to do and never stop to question? What if the real test of holiness ( kadosh ) is not just saying no to sin, but knowing when to say no to yourself? The theme of holiness permeates this week's Torah portion, setting the stage for how God's people are to conduct themselves in every aspect of their l...

I have had many father figures tell me, on frequent occasions, "I am proud of you." "That's impressive." "Nice work." "Great job." One of the worst things in the world is when a child does not hear their parent(s) or their spouse say, "I am impressed. I am impressed with you today." I do not know about you, but I am OK with hearing affirming words like this! Noah built an ark against all cultural odds. Abraham built a family against some pretty significant odds (a barren wife). Moses built a nation against even greater odds. David built a kingdom. Nehemiah built a wall. Each person did what God said to do because God wanted them to do it. Our God put Adam in the garden way back in the beginning. He did not actually say, "Pray more." He said, "Work." When God called Abraham, He did not actually hand him a door to walk through. He did not hand him a prayer book. He handed him a mission. He said, "Go build a fa...