Light In Torah

Good morning! In this week's Torah portion, Vayeitze, Jacob wept when he met Rachel for the first time (Gen. 29:11). This moment in time is connected to Hagar’s weeping at Ishmael’s potential death (Gen. 21:16) and Esau’s weeping over the birthright and blessing (Gen. 27:38). It's seen again when Esau and Jacob met (Gen. 33:4) and we’ll see it again at least 9 more times in the book of Genesis. What’s all the crying about? It’s about the potential of losing something. Whether it was a child, a blessing, or a concern for Rachel there’s a thread that connects them all. Now onto some more threads to consider: The Teraphim story (Gen. 31): As Jacob is leaving the house of Laban, Rachel takes these Teraphim. Now what are Teraphim? We don't really know, they might have been idols, they might have been divination instruments, where Laban's going to be able to tell the future, but she takes them for some unknown reason. Laban pursues Jacob convinced that someone in his camp has...

God morning! Thanksgiving, the day has arrived. The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, (Acts 1:1) Life can be complicated! Maybe I should say, life is complicated. Family can be even more complicated! In our previous studies we have noticed that the entire book of Genesis, the foundation of our faith, is about broken, dysfunctional families and the attempt to restore them over time. Most failed. Some kept it at bay. Other's made progress, all the way to Joseph. Challenged families...I don't think anyone is exempt from this reality. All of life is predicated in the first few years of our development and what philosophies have been imparted into our lives through the formative years; even without our choosing. The 'torah/instructions' that we were reared in, whether Scriptural or not, have formulated a lot of our current responses to challenges, stress, belief and partly to our destinies. With every passing week in our...

Good morning! This week's Torah portion, Vayetze/he went out is filled with dreams. We often think of Joseph, the master of the dreams (Gen. 37:19), but he got his dreaming from his father Jacob. The difference between Jacob's dreams and Joseph dreams is that Jacob's dreams are revelations of his current situation, not something that’s majorly prophetic. I'm not sure about you, but when I think of a ladder, my mind travels along a very diverse road...what do you think of? A biologist might think of the structure of DNA. A construction man, or a painter may think of an object that allows him to go up and down the side of a wall. A bible scholar may think of Jesus/Yeshua (Jn. 1:51) or Jacob's ladder (Gen. 28:10-15). A businessman may think of climbing the corporate ladder. As you prepare for your Thanksgiving celebration, I'd like for you to consider, what makes up a ladder Let me help you with the obvious and I'll leave the application to you :-) A ladder has...

Good morning! The Genesis Torah portions, each week, reveal to us real life drama through the lives of the Patriarchs and establish 'seed' patterns into the lives of their descendants (physically and spiritually). Fortunately, as we see in their lives, seasons do change and 'this' too will pass. Exiles end and freedom begins. Just as Jacob left his imprisoned life under Laban, many who were once content to be slaves awaken to their true identity, break free, and embark on the long journey ‘home’ and their life goes on. Pages turn. Familiar chapters conclude and fresh ones begin. Seasons of life really do come and go. Childhood turns to adolescents. Adolescents to adulthood. Adulthood to midlife then off to the golden years. Fall harvest leads to winter.  And across the landscape of this planet, winters will become beautiful spring times, followed by heat-filled summers, which will fade into beautiful fall colors. Sunshine yields to sunset, and nighttime yields to day br...

Good morning! Within the past week, I had a dear friend lose a loved one via a heart attack. Heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death in America. Fortunately, because of modern medicine, with the use of stents, bi-pass surgery and even heart replacement life can continue. The physical can teach us a lot about the spiritual (1 Cor. 15:46). Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. (1 Cor. 15:46) The biblical idea of a heart attack is slightly different, but in the end they both separate. One is a physical separation from this life and the other is a consciousness of separation from God.  Both come from being overwhelmed/ataph with life and feeling alone in the world (Psa. 61:2; 77:3; 102:1; 107:5; 142:3,4). From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (Psa. 61:2) Internally, when we feel overwhelmed/ataph it describes that ago...

Good morning! The story of Jacob and Esau is filled with questions. As Winston Churchill, my dad's favorite, once said, speaking of Russia, "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." That's my mindset on Jacob and Esau. The mission of Abraham's seed is to transform the physical and material world into a divine abode (Matt. 6:10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matt. 6:10) How is this done? We must enter into the real world and impact it. We must enter the open fields of society and live proudly as people in Christ, Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:29; Jn. 8:39), to integrate heaven and earth. As I try to read Isaac and Rebekah's minds, they both knew that a partnership between the twins Esau and Jacob would guarantee an impactful people for generations/toldot to come. Jacob will grant the people its soul, spirit, conscience, and moral GPS, its Divine core, but Esau will be in charge of the "field," he will become th...

Good morning! With Thanksgiving, less than a week away, I'd like for you to consider the Passover Lamb (a Thanksgiving offering/korban todah) with the Peace Offering/Korban shelem in Leviticus 3 and Leviticus 7. Before we jump to that, let's prepare ourselves for time with friends and family by heeding Paul's word of instruction to walk in love, just as Messiah loved us and gave Himself up for us as an offering/Korban and a sacrfice/zebach to God as a fragrant aroma (Eph. 5:2). And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering/korrban and a  sacrifice/zebach to God for a sweet smelling savour. (Eph. 5:2) At first, it seems like Paul is a little redundant with his wording, but he's not. He carefully chose two words that we often lump together and, for his reader, they were used to give them clarity when they approached the altar with what would be sacrificed. To keep things simplified for us, since we don't have an altar, a Tem...

Good morning! We are less than a week away from a thanks-giving day, traditionally known in America as the Day of Thanksgiving! Thanks Mr. Obvious :-) It truly is a day to give thanks and it’s a day where most of us really do count our blessings for what we have vs what we do not have. For me, I have more to give thanks than I could really express to you and most of us I, if not all of us would be the same. The Apostle Paul said that we should give thanks in everything for this is the will of God in Messiah Yeshua (1 Thess. 5:18). Everything? For a devout Jew, and some others :-), they would wake up first thing in the morning and give thanks for the very breath that God has given to them to start the day; or each time they use the bathroom/washroom they give God thanks that their elimination system is working. Yes, giving thanks in all things is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. And for those who might be enduring difficult times and are having a difficult time giving tha...

Good morning! The day of Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and the opportunity to give thanks is before us once again (1 Thess. 5:18)! Now the hearts of many, especially the commercial world, turn towards Christmas. As with everything else in life, context is the key to good understanding. Because we live in the present, we don't often consider the context, the origin of something; only what it means to me now. Why should we, right? After all, Christmas is no longer the Roman, pagan, violent, inhumane celebration it once was. It no longer calls forth images of the birth of pagan deities. It’s just a Christian tradition, one that has been usurped by the retailers and the party-goers so to strip it of even the Christian claims. I was meditating in Psalm 104:3 this morning. I thought to myself, is this just KJV poetry or is there more to the idea of God laying the beams of His chambers in the waters! Who makes the clouds His chariot! Who walks upon the wings of the wind! Bless the L...

Good morning! What you see is what you get. It's known as the Pygmalion Effect. It’s a ‘humanistic title’ but its concept is everywhere in Scripture. In practicality, the Pygmalion effect is a type of self-fulfilling prophecy where your mindset will produce a matching outcome; this viewpoint may unconsciously make it happen through your actions or inaction. It occurs in every corridor of life and is most evident when an individual raises his or her expectations for the performance of workers, family members, peers in every walk of life, and this actually results in an increased performance. Ironically, it works exactly the opposite also. It can be summed up by stating ‘expectation leads to manifestation’; expectation manifests into creative behavior. What you expect you create. Your expectation is the source code of your creative possibilities. Everyday we find ourselves sitting in a soup of limitless possibilities and/or we find ourselves wallering in a soup of limitless yuckity-y...

Good morning! Life is complicated! Family can be even more complicated! Have you ever noticed that the entire book of Genesis, the foundation of our faith, is about broken, dysfunctional families and the attempt to restore them over time? Most failed. Some kept it at bay. Other's made progress, all the way to Joseph;  the rectification of Esau (more on this on Shabbat). Challenged families...I don't think anyone is exempt from this reality. However, if you are from the 'leave it to Beaver Cleaver' household, then I want to congratulate you and please keep modeling the ideal and the rest of us will catch on :-) All of life is predicated in the first few years of our development and what philosophies have been imparted into our lives through the formative years; even without our choosing. The 'torah/instructions' that we were reared in, whether Scriptural or not, have formulated a lot of our current responses to challenges, stress, belief and partly to our destini...

Good morning! What is the purpose of the Sabbath anyway? It's actually a question at the heart of the Jacob-Esau narrative, directly connected to the birthright of the firstborn and much. more. More on this conflict between brothers on tonight's zoom call. So...what is its purpose? As I was answering a question to a man after the church service yesterday, he was enquiring, "is it just about not going to work/melechah? Getting some extra sleep? Is it just about reflecting on all that God did in your life the previous six days?Is it the opportunity to serve and do good /avodah to others? Is there more to it than prayer, bible study and good food? Or is it about getting together with other believers (Heb. 10:23-25), sharing, praying and celebrating His goodness? YES. All of the above. If we use the first mention principle, progressive principle and all mention principle in Scripture we will get a better understanding of this day that God set apart with special blessing and re...

Good morning! As was the custom in the early church of Acts, the believers would meet on the Sabbath to study the Torah (Acts. 15:21). As many of you know, the Torah is divided into portions for weekly reading and study. Even though we have finished the Torah portions dealing with the life of Sarah, the truths of this portion carry on even today (Gen. 23-25). In Sarah’s Torah portion we find that her beauty is referenced several times and twice at the beginning of her introduction (Gen. 12:11,14); a reality that every society focuses on today (from different vantage points) 
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair/yafat woman to look upon: (Gen. 12:11) And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair./yafat (Gen. 12:14) The custom during Abraham’s day, and now in the Middle east is for a woman to cover most of her face with a ...

Good morning! Last night's zoom call from the Torah portion , the life of Sarah (Gen. 23-25) Decisions lead to actions: talk less do more, the life of Abraham and his seed Last week we saw love defined in action (Gen. 22:1,2). This week, for the first time we see love between a man and a woman (Gen. 24:67). From the beginning men were commanded to leave mother and father and cling to their wives in order to become one flesh (Gen. 2:24); a very physical union. Love, on the other hand, is an intense emotional bond that is much more than physical intimacy; something commanded for us men to do towards our honey bunny's (Eph. 5:25-33). Later in our studies, we will find that Jacob loves Rachel, but that’s before he married her (Gen. 29:18) and because of his circumstances his love later became divisive (Gen. 29:30). With Isaac and Rebecca, the love follows the marriage with profound intimacy. Why the difference? Before we go any farther into this topic...yes, the lives of the Patria...

Good morning! In the past I shared some ideas on the four rivers that flowed around and through the Garden of Eden, linking them to Yeshua's statement in John 7:37-39, "...out of your belly will flow rivers of living water." In the midst of discussing the river Pishon/Nile, where flax/pishton grows, we discussed the commandment not to wear mixed garments of linen and wool (Lev. 19:19; Deut. 22:11); a shabbat question that was proposed to me a couple weeks ago :-) As I gain more experience in my 29th year of life (34 years of experience) I realize more and more that everything that God does is for the good and whether we understand it or not, there really is a reason for it! However, it still makes me scratch my head as to why He would command something so 'random' as this? Does it really matter what you cover your nakedness with? Hosea made it clear that it does matter (Hos. 2:8-11). The question is why? For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil...

Good morning! The book of Jude and 2 Peter are sister books. Jude being much shorter than 2 Peter and it actually outlines the entire book of 2 Peter beautifully. Yesterday was a 'try to catch a breath' kind of day, but I did about 1:30 a.m. this morning :-). Each Wednesday, I get the privilege of having lunch with a local pastor for some wonderful conversations and iron sharpening iron time together...it's the highlight to the midweek for sure. During our lunch we discussed the qualities of the bride and doing righteousness (Rev. 19:7,8; Acts 10:35) while comparing the two sides of the 'righteousness coin' (Deut. 6:25 and Isa. 64:6). And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteous actions of the saints. (Rev.19:8) But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:35) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags...

Good morning! Sometimes, more is said with less. Scripture doesn't always make sense, then again welcome to life in these 'soul suits' of flesh and bones :-). Where did he go (Gen. 22:5, 19)? Abraham said that he and Isaac will go and worship together and they will come again (Gen. 22:5). After the 'Akeidah'/the binding of Isaac, only Abraham comes back (Gen. 22:19). Where did Isaac go? Why doesn't he show again until after the 'servant' finds a bride for the son (Gen. 24:62-67)? In between this disappearing act, Chapter 23 has Abraham mourning the death of Sarah in Hebron. And in chapter 24, we see Abraham's eldest servant is in Haran, at Laban's house procuring a bride for Isaac. Where was Isaac all this time while the bride was being sought? Strangely enough he's at the refuge well of Hagar and Ishmael; where God sees me/Be'er Lachai Roi (Gen. 24:62); a long way from anything. Why was Isaac there? Why didn't he return with Abraham?...

Good morning! Last night's zoom call : B, requires A. A does not guarantee B. What does it take to be the Bride of Christ (Gen.24) One of the most important concepts to keep in mind as we live the 'seed life' like Abraham (Gal. 3:29; Jn. 8:39) is to put ourselves within the context (language, setting and culture) of the audience receiving the Word. If you're like me, there have been times in my life when I have tried to self-justify my actions. For example, “I have many things to speak/dabar and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard/shema from Him, these I speak/dabar to the world.” (Jn. 8:26) Let's take the time to read the verse again, then ask yourself, “How would I understand this verse if I were hearing it from the Messiah's lips in 29 C.E.?”  it's very difficult to determine what's being said without context, isn't it? Yeshua is having a lively discussion with the religious leaders of His day (Jn. 8)....

Good morning! Some of you had part of your 'salt' study that did not come through in yesterday's study (11/09). Let me know and I'll resend where your study  was cut off :-). Word on the block says, "it's a salty read and worth a closer look at Mrs. Lot turning into a pillar of salt". On this past Shabbat, we were privileged to have a dynamic man visit our study. We had a fiery discussion and when it was all over, everyone knew there was 'iron sharpening iron' (Prov. 27:17). Part of our discussion included how Scripture reveals righteousness in relationship to works. Fortunately, through Scripture, the potentially ‘muddy-water’ topic of righteousness and works became clear as dirty water that's been run through a spiritual RO system. The Torah, God's instruction manual for daily living and whether believers should keep it is one of those potentially ‘muddy-water’ topics. For some it's their preference whether they keep it or not. For ot...