Light In Torah

Good morning! I've shared with you on hundreds of occasions, if you never learn anything from these studies, never forget where you've been, always take inventory where you're at and never forget where you're going (Deut. 6:23-25). Let's step back and readdress our past and inventory our present...After the spiritual and physical crossing of the Reed Sea/Yom Suf, receiving the prophetic revelation as a nation and singing in unison the Song of Moses (Ex. 15:19; Rev. 15:3), one would think that the spiritual high would last more than just a few days. However, new and never before experienced challenges often take our mind away from the One Who is our great deliverer. With the water crisis after the next three days, God's firstborn children were beginning to murmur to Moses. They didn't need a drop for their tongue, they needed cool, refreshing, pure water to quench their thirst. Unfortunately, God led them to a place that we have deemed the bitter waters of Ma...

Good morning! For me personally, the Scripture that contains the details of the Tabernacle are the most important in all the Bible. Why, you may ask? It reveals Who God is. It reveals His purpose. It reveals how He approaches me. It reveals how I approach Him. If it gives me more clarity of His function than any other section of Scripture. It teaches me how to live as a living sacrifice, how to love my honey bunny, the essence of being filled with the Spirit, how to encounter mankind, how to pray and how to prepare myself to be the Bride...and so, so, much more. Last night's special zoom: The Tabernacle: Fine Twined Linen clean and white or 'How do I live as the Bride'? (Ex. 26:1; Rev. 19:7,8) Let me digress.We are officially in the month of Adar. Purim is just a couple of weeks away and Passover is just around the corner! One of the main themes of Purim, found in the book of Esther, is that there’s no such thing as a coincidence. And in our Torah portion this week, Terumah...

 Good morning! As we step into a new Torah portion, Tama, dealing with the blueprint of the Tabernacle I’m reminded of how fleeting things are here in America. Just over a month ago there was the opportunity for the Kansas City Chiefs to make a three-peat to be the Super Bowl champions. There was a lot of talk behind the scenes and the whole country was captured. People were excited about the pre-and the post activities and the commercials, the halftime show and the whole culture of what the SuperBowl identifies with. The heart of America comes forth on this day. Where do you stand with all of this? All throughout the playoffs the referees were hammered for bad calls and were accused of throwing games to one team over another. This morning, I don't want to focus on that, but I want you and I to consider a valuable lesson in your life as you evaluate the 'game of life' going on around you. If you've ever had the privilege of visiting with a professional referee, they may...

Good morning! I'm giving God wonderful praise this morning: He gave my fiends safe travel from Florida to Stanton, Michigan for what will be an amazing health vacation over the next two weeks. Speaking of time, we are in the month of Adar, the 12th month of God's Calendar (Gen. 1:14), where strength and power are emphasized...may that be the reality for all of us! It's also the month of increasing joy as well as the month of Purim (book of Esther)! In our Torah studies, we are over 1/2 way through the book of Exodus/Shemot/names! Let's do a quick review of where we've been :-) We have left the chaos of Egypt by the blood of the Lamb (Ex. 12; cf. Gen. 1:1-5). Baptized into the cloud, Moses, and the sea (1 Cor. 10:2), passed through the sea on dry land (Ex. 14; cf. Gen. 1:6-13). Came out of the sea to walk in the newness of life (Ex. 14; Rom. 6:4). We have turned our gaze towards heaven and covenant marriage  (Ex. 19-24; cf. Gen. 1:14-19; Col. 3:1-4) and now God wants...

Good morning It's a big week! I have friends coming into the clinic from Florida. We start a new Torah portion, Terumah/offering (Ex. 25:1-27:19), what I consider the most important topic in the entire Bible: give me the instructions of the Tabernacle and I will know the character of God, how to approach Him, how to live my life towards those around me, how to keep Him in the center of my life and what life in His presence will be like. And since our bodies are called 'Tabernacles', 'tents' (2 Cor. 5:4; 2 Pet. 1:13; 1 Cor. 15:53,54; etc.) and or 'Temples' (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19,20; 2 Cor. 6:16, Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Pet. 2:5; etc), I want to know every detail of the earthly tabernacle, the place that He wants to dwell in (Ex. 25:8) that is patterned identically to the one in the heavenlies (Ex. 25:9).  And with that preface, to what I consider the most valuable and inclusive topic in Scripture, it's also the scariest. Huh? Let me give you something to think about....

Good morning! I'm an animal lover, especially dogs/kalev, , which in Hebrew means one who loves from the heart/lev. Maybe that's why the dog is known to many as man's best friend. Woof-woof!  Matthew and Mark record an issue of an encounter with a gentile woman who had come to Yeshua, begging that he exercise a demon from her daughter (Mt. 15:21-28; Mk. 7:24-30). With our modern egalitarian perception of Yeshua, we would think that he would immediately have compassion for the unfortunate girl and agreed to help. However, the gospel‘s record for us, with maybe the Master's most shocking response to our western ears, He told the woman it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs. Huh? "But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." (Mt. 15:26) What did he really say? Was it racist? Sexist? Prejudice? Demeaning? Rude? Why did He make this egregious statement against the poo...

Good morning! Have you ever stopped to consider why God chose the 10 statements that He did in the '10 commandments'? Why didn't He include the two main commandments: to love the Lord your God...and your neighbor as yourself? Why didn't He address the type of food we eat? Enquiring minds want to know. What if I was able to show you that all 10 statements are found in the Jacob-Esau story, in order (Gen. 27)? What would it matter? In last night's zoom call, we went back 'in time' to uncover 'a' reason for the Big 10, connected it to our marriage vows, identified Yeshua as the Angel that went before them (Ex. 23:20-33) and much more. Why pull these 'rabbits' out of the spiritual top hat? To reaffirm the blueprint for our journey (1 Cor. 9:24-10:12) and to break down some of the misnomers that we've held on to and have hindered our intimacy with Him (Ex. 24:3-11). Along those same lines of thought, if you're like me, you've asked you...

Good morning! Do you know what holds people back from becoming rich? Would you like to be rich? This week's Torah portion informs us of a simple truth to increase our wealth spiritually, emotionally (psychologically), physically, relationally and financially. "If a man shall give money or vessels to his fellow to safeguard, and it is stolen from the man's house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double." (Ex. 22:6) Simply put, the Torah states here the law that a thief need not only compensate the victim for the loss; he is also given a penalty and is obligated to pay double the sum that he took. God grants each of us a body, a mind, a soul, a family, and a little fraction of His world's resources. He asks us to nurture them and protect them from inner and outer forces that threaten to undermine their splendor and wholeness. (Matt. 25:14,15; Lk. 19:13). Yet, each of us also possesses an inner "thief" who schemes to steal these gifts and use them in an ...

Good morning! Misconceptions about the Lord our God/YHVH Elohim, the creator of the universe and all that is about Him, abound in many realms. And yes, they should. How can the 'created' know the infinite details of their creator?? It's impossible. However, in our quest to know Him more, which is His desire, He gives us daily bread, aka 'bread crumbs' to make sure we are on the right path (Ex. 10:2; 11:7; 14:4). For the enquiring mind, we have to be careful of feeding on GMO bread crumbs. Counterfeits...looks like bread. Tastes like bread...no nutrients of bread. A major counterfeit bread crumb that many have swallowed is the purpose of God's judgments/mishpatim and how they function in our lives. Too many think of God's judgments as 'rules'. In my personal opinion, if we continue to hold that concept, we will be led down the wrong path. The modern definition of a rule/mishpat is a principle or regulation that carries the power to enforce stipulation...

Good morning! North America is experiencing some chilly Willy weather! Do you know the number one reason why the hearts of men grow cold? It's creating spiritual anemia because it's anomia...don't let this happen to you! Has it happened to you? Your answer is found in Matthew 24:12. In this week's Torah portion, mishpatim/judgments or right rulings (Ex. 21-24)  we learn. how to overcome the cold heart syndrome and move past the preparatory boundaries initiated at the base of Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:10-13) to the opportunity to ascend the mountain, see God and eat in His presence (Ex. 24:3-11)...details are given in Monday night's zoom call: "The three reasons why people never attain true intimacy in their relationship with God" or "How do I keep the fiery-hot sizzle in my marriage" Have you ever heard or said something like...After this product launches, after we complete this big project, after we get this big client account, after these things...life...

Good morning! In the Torah portion this week, we see a desperately needed theme appear where the Israelites recognize the importance of loving, caring and treating one another with respect and maintaining unity in their confession of obedience to their Savior and deliverer who has redeemed them through the blood of the Lamb and guided them to the place where they would learn obedience (Ex. 3:12; Ex. 12-23; 24:3-8; summarized in 1 Pet. 1:2). Prior to this mindset, however, the Israelites had to learn to trust God! I know that sounds strange, but it's true. They knew that He was a man of war (Ex. 15:3), but could He be trusted to be there for me in times of emotional crisis (Ex. 17:7) and would He be a provider for all their needs on the journey that He's leading them in??? Was His providing daily bread for 2-6 million people (Ex. 16), water for the people and livestock (Ex. 17) , would His rules stay consistent regardless of the people's backgrounds (Ex. 12:49) would His pro...

Good morning! In our previous studies we learned about the soaring spiritual experience , where God delivered us out of Egypt and brought us to Himself at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:3-5), where He gave us His divine instructions/Torah to all of mankind; the greatest manifestation of God in history, spoken from His Own mouth (Deut. 4:32-39). What's the follow up encore to that amazing fire and light show (Ex. 20:18-26)? Well, my traveling friends, we are still at Sinai. We haven't processed this revelation completely, but now it's time for responsibility...and these are the judgments/v'elle mishpatim (Ex. 21:1). In this section there are approximately 53 judgments on how to deal with one another in life's situations; 20 positive and 33 negative. They directly address our human condition. They are the bedrock of society. Righting wrongs, how to handle possessions damaged purposely or inadvertently, someone suffering loss, accidental death, judicial process, to name a few...the...

Good morning! What do you hear/shema that moves you to a deeper and profound walk with the Lord? Is it the power of God to set you free from your enslavement (Ex. 12) or His magnificent power to destroy your enemies (Ex. 14) or the opportunity He gives you to fight your own battles (Ex. 17)?  Yesterday, we covered two ideas that Jethro heard/shema that moved him, but it's the third that committed him to the One True God (Ex. 18:11,12). It has been said by every successful person, there's nothing like learning and you really haven't learned anything until you can put it into action. So far, in the Exodus story, God has done virtually everything for us. Now, in the battle of Amalek, a battle that we will have the rest of our lives, God steps back to let us fight this one on our own...or is it on our own? Why? Why wouldn't He pull a miraculous 'drowning of Amalek'? He could! But, He won't.  One of the 6 things we are to remember every day is what Amalek did to ...

Good morning! Shabbat shalom If you want to hear the most important phrase for any married couple, courters, daters, anyone who has a friend or for anybody in their covenantal marriage with the Lord, you’ll want to listen to last night's zoom call . Within the study you'll find that 'listening' is the key to your relationship becoming a special treasure, set apart, and an influence within the world. This week’s Torah portion includes the conversion of Moses Father-in-law Jethro, the Midianite Priest. We know from the. narrative that he was a seeker of truth and had investigated many of the different spiritual paths, pagan traditions of his era, and his journey before he came to the conclusion to accept, to consciously choose the God of Israel as his God (Exodus 18:11). How did it happen? It was all about what He heard/shema. Jethro heard what the Lord God had done to the children of Israel, by taking them out of the land of Egypt. It was after hearing this news that he ...

Good afternoon! This week's Torah portion is Yitro (Ex. 18-20). It's most commonly known for the 10 words/dabar given on the two tablets of stone. One of the intriguing things about the "Ten Commandments" is that they were engraved on two separate tablets. Was God short of granite that He needed to use two tablets? Why could He not carve the commandments onto a single stone? When we look at the two tablets they can be read vertically or from Tablet to tablet; side to side. The simplest way of reading the "Ten Commandments" is, of course, from top to bottom: On the first stone: 1) I am the Lord your God who has taken you out of Egypt... 2) You shall have no other gods... 3) You shall not swear in God's name in vain... 4) Remember the Sabbath... 5) Honor your father and your mother... And the five commandments engraved on the second tablet: 6) You shall not murder. 7) You shall not commit adultery. 8) You shall not steal. 9) You shall not bear false witnes...