Hayei Sarah (Sarah’s Life) B’resheet Gen. 23:1-25:18
: Hayei Sarah (Sarah’s Life) B’resheet/Genesis 23:1-25:18
Haftorah Readings: I Kings 1:1-31
Tonight we study the Torah portion that covers the death of Sarah and Avraham. However, the opening words give us a clue of the deeper message we will uncover today.
I would like to begin with Genesis 24:1, “Avraham was old, well advanced in years, and G-d had blessed Avraham with everything.” Even the death of Sarah is written in such a way in Hebrew, to make clear that she also had lived a full life dying at the age of 127.
Vayera (And He Appeared) B’resheet/Genesis 18:1-22:24
: Vayera (And He Appeared) B’resheet/Genesis 18:1-22:24
Haftorah Readings: II Kings 4:1-37
This week we read a Torah portion that presents us with many situations that bear looking at in depth. Genesis 22:1-19 tells us about G-d coming to Avraham and telling him to take his only son Isaac and sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah. Let’s look at this and see what we can learn from it. I must admit these verses have always been difficult for me to grasp. Remember, this was the son of Promise. He was the son of Avraham and Sarah that G-d had promised and was the product of a miracle birth. Avraham was 99 years old and Sarah was long passed child bearing years. Yet G-d intervened and brought this boy into their lives. And now He commanded Avraham to sacrifice him to G-d.
Emor (Speak) Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Torah Portion: Emor (Speak) Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Haftorah Reading: Ezekiel 44:15-31
Our Torah portion today is Emor. When we read it, I would expect our initial feeling might be that theses verses have little to do with us in today’s world. However, I want to take a few minutes to see if that is an accurate way to interpret these words. I would like to do this by looking specifically at a few verses.
Mattot (Tribes) & Masa’ei (Stages) B’Midbar (Numbers) 30-36
Torah Portion: Mattot (Tribes) & Masa’ei (Stages) B’Midbar (Numbers) 30-36
Haftorah Reading: Jeremiah 1:1-2:28
Today we finish our study of Numbers (B’Midbar) by reading a double portion of Torah. My question this week comes from the second portion but before I get to that I want to talk about several other points that I believe will give us a clear understanding of G-d’s love for us and our ability to express our love for Him.