Ha’azinu Deut. 32
Torah Portion: Ha’azinu Deut. 32:1-52
HafTorah: II Samuel 22:1-51
In Deut. 32:1 Moses uses two different verbs when addressing Heaven and Earth. I want us to start by looking at these verses and what it might mean to us spiritually. First, Ha’azinu means to give ear or listen closely, like when you might share something with a close friend. The other verb is a general term for listen. What can we learn from this? The rabbis say the first word signifies the closeness Moses felt to Heaven. I was thinking about this and about what it means for us. First Judaism sees life both spiritual and physical made up of a dichotomy, light and dark, days of the week, Sabbath, Heaven and earth. Given this, we live somewhat in the tension between these divisions. We, like Moses, should have a close connection to the divine. We should be so close we only have to whisper and the world should not have the power over us that the spiritual has. We should be able to impact the physical world because of our closeness to the spiritual. We need only to whisper and G-d hears us.
Eikev (Following) Deut. 7
Torah Portion: Eikev (Following) Deut. 7:12-11:25
HafTorah: Isaiah 49:14-51:3
Hebrews 11:8-13; Romans 8:31-39
This Torah section could be called one of remembrance, not forgetting. In this section we see over and over Moses calling on the people to remember what G-d had done for them. In fact in Chapter 8 of Deut. Moses goes on about everything G-d did for them and included in the list were also trials that He led them through and why G-d allowed them to be tested. Living life involves challenges. By these we grow and our faith is built up. That is what He tells Israel to remember. For soon they will enter a land where they will be challenged in new ways.
A Spiritual Path to G-D – Korach Numbers 16
Torah Portion: Korach Numbers 16:1-18:32
HafTorah: I Sam 11:14 – 12:22
Let me start with a couple of verses from Genesis 1:6-13. In these verses we read about the second and third day of creation. What is missing in day two? G-d does not say it is good. Why? One reason might be that there was a division on the second day. However on day three what do we read? He said, “It was good” twice. Here the earth and water reconciled the division by bringing forth life. I think we can see this in Korach and even in the New Testament. When was Yeshua resurrected? It happened on the third day and that resurrection brought forth spiritual life that we are still experiencing and will continue to experience.
Do You Trust G-d? – Behar (On the Mountain)Leviticus 25
Torah Portion: Behar (On the Mountain) Leviticus 25:1-26:2
HafTorah: Jeremiah 32:6-27
Let us start with a question. What do the concepts of Shabbat, Shmitah and Jubilee have in common? What do they teach us spiritually? Two of the three have the same root in Hebrew. Shabbat and Sabbatical or Shmitah come from the word to rest. The Shabbat comes once each week and the other once every seventh year. Even Jubilee teaches us the same principle. G-d is our provider. All things belong to Him. He expects us to live in a way that reflects Him in society. We tend to compartmentalize life and in doing that relegate G-d to certain places and time. We may only relate to Him in this meeting or one like it. Some of us may allow Him into our personal lives. We don’t hurt people, we try to live upright lives but fewer are those who let Him into our business or pocketbooks. We may say, “I’ll pray, I’ll study scripture but really business is business. I can’t take off a day or a week much less a year. I can’t tithe. That’s a lot of money. What would I do without it? Everybody cheats a little especially with Uncle Sam. I need it more than they do.”
Chayei Sarah Genesis 23
Torah Portion: Chayei Sarah Genesis 23:1-25:18
HafTorah: I Kings 1:1-31
Tonight I want us to look at the Torah section and see what we can learn from these years of Abraham’s life. There are also several hints in this section about the after life and the resurrection. One of those hints occurs almost immediately in Genesis 23:1. In this verse there are words that without the vowel points can be read two ways. The same words occur in Genesis 25:7 where the text speaks about Abraham. The words are “shna chayai Sarah” and later “shna chayai Avraham”. As they are marked in most Hebrew Bibles they are read “years of life.” However, in the original Hebrew, without vowel points, they can also be read as two lives. If the text is read this way it can be talking about the after life or the resurrection. In verse 23:2 another hint occurs where the word for “weep” in Hebrew is written with a small letter in the middle suggesting that Abraham’s weeping was tempered. Suggesting Abraham as comforted by the fact that he knew he would see Sarah again. This is also stated in I Thess. 4:13 where Paul says we have a hope that nonbelievers do not share. These hints are more evident in Hebrew than our English translations.
Chol HaMo’ed Sukkot Exodus 33
Torah Portion: Chol Ha Mo’ed Sukkot Exodus 33:12-34:26
Today is the Shabbat that falls in the intermediate days of Sukkot. In this section of scripture two things tie it to the holiday of Sukkot. In Exodus 34:22 the holiday is mentioned in the list of appointed times. In Chapter 33 G-d appears to Moses. In I Kings during the dedication of Solomon’s temple, the presence of G-d appears in the temple. As a result the priests could not minister or even go into the temple.
Devarim (Words) Deut. 1
Weekly Torah Section: Devarim Deut. 1:1-3:22, HafTorah Isaiah 1:1-27
This is the last Sabbath before Tish B’Av. It is known as the Sabbath of vision. This comes from the first verse of Isaiah, “the vision of Isaiah, son of Amos.” Isaiah began his ministry in 740, the year King Ussiah died. He prophesied during the reign of four different kings of Israel.
What is Tisha B’Av? It is the day when both the first and second temples were destroyed, first in the year 586 by Nebuchadnezzar and second in the year 70 by Titus. On this day the book of Lamentations is read. This book begins with the same word that we find in Isaiah 1:21. This is one of the reasons that Isaiah is the reading before Tisha B’Av.