V’zot Haberacha, Deut. 33-34
1.In the last Torah reading of Deut. Chapters 33 and 34, V’zot Haberacha, the children of Israel were blessed by Jacob in Genesis 49. They were blessed again by Moses in Deut. 33. Please read each of these passages and see if there are similarities or are they completely different. When Moses blessed the people, he […]
Ha’azinu (Hear) D’Varim/Deut. 32:1-52
1.This Shabbat has a special name. Do you know what it is and what it means? It is found in the Hebrew text of our Haftorah portion in Hosea. It is called Shabbat Shuvah and it gets this name from a verse in Hosea 14:2. 2.In Deut. 32:1-2 Moses uses two different verbs when addressing […]
Nitzavim (Standing) Vayelekh (And He Went) D’varim (Deut) 29:9-31:30
Torah Portions: Nitzavim (Standing) Vayelekh (And He Went) D’varim (Deut) 29:9-31:30 Haftorah Readings: Isaiah 61:10-63:9, Hosea 14:1-10, Micah 7:18-20, Joel 2:15-27 1. D’varim/Deuteronomy 31:17, “And in that day My anger will burn against them and I will forsake them and I will hide My face from them. What exactly does it mean, “I will hide My face […]
Ki Tavo (When You Come In) Deut. 26:1-29:8 HafTorah: Isaiah 60:1-22
Ki Tavo (When You Come In) Deut. 26:1-29:8 HafTorah: Isaiah 60:1-22 1.Our Torah portion is called Ki Tavo or “When You Come”. Here we see Moses laying out the renewal of the covenant between G-d and Israel. He states the benefits of that covenant or the blessings. In these blessings every area of life is […]
Ki Tetze (When You Go Out) Deut./D’Varim 21:10-25:19
Ki Tetze (When You Go Out) Deut./D’Varim 21:10-25:19, Haftorah Reading Isaiah 54:1-10 1.What would you say the over-riding theme of this Torah portion is? Where in the Messianic scripture do you see the same theme carried out? As you read this Torah section you probably noticed it was filled with commandments covering all areas of life. […]
Shoftim (Judges) Deut. 16:18-21:9 HafTorah: Isaiah 51:12-52:12
Torah Portion: Shoftim (Judges) Deut. 16:18-21:9 HafTorah: Isaiah 51:12-52:12 This Torah section, Shoftim, occurs in the first Sabbath of the month of Elul. The first day of Elul was yesterday. It is seen as a month of repentance, a sanctuary in time for a person to have a dedicated length of time to examine his/her life […]
Torah Portion: Re’eh (Behold, See) Deut. 11:26-16:17
1.Deut 13:2-5 talks about a problem that I expect we all face at sometimes, false prophets, evil people who seem to prosper. Why does G-d allow people like this to sometimes appear so insightful and successful? Why does He seem to let bad people prosper? This passage challenges us to not be led astray by […]
Ekev (Because, As a result of) Deut. 7:12-11:25
Torah Portion: Ekev (Because, As a result of) Deut. 7:12-11:25 HafTorah Isaiah 49:14-51:3 1.The name of this portion is called Ekev. It is sometimes translated as “because.” Whose name is taken from this root word and why was he given this name? Jacob, or Yacove, one of the patriarchs, was given this name because he held his […]
Va’etchanan (I pleaded) Deut. 3:23-7:11, HafTorah Isaiah 40:1-26
Torah Portion: Va’etchanan (I pleaded) Deut. 3:23-7:11, HafTorah Isaiah 40:1-26 1.In Deut. 4:4 it says, “But you who held fast to the L-rd your G-d are alive today, every one of you.” What does it mean to “hold fast” ? In Hebrew the word is “Had-vachem” included in this word is the root for stick […]
D’Varim (Words) Deuteronomy/D’Varim 1:1-3:22
1.This week we start the Book of D’Varim or “Words.” This is Moshe’s final address to the people before his exit from the world stage. It was delivered over a 37 day period, just before Israel began the settlement of the Land of Promise. Remember this is the same man who told G-d, back in […]