Va’etchanan (I Pleaded) D’Varim (Deut.) 3:23-7:11
Torah Portion: Va’etchanan (I Pleaded)D’Varim(Deut.) 3:23-7:11
Haftorah Reading: Isaiah 40:1-26
Today we read an epic Torah portion. We read again the Shema and the Ten Commandments. We also read a brief passage with high implications for the way we are to live a moral life in our day.
To begin with, I want us to look at Deut. 5:30. This verse tells us, “In all the way that the L-rd you G-d has commanded you, you shall walk.” I want to use this verse as a jumping off place for our study tonight. What does this verse say to us about our daily walk?
Ki Tavo (When You Come) D’Varim (Deut.) 26:1-29:8
: Ki Tavo (When You Come) D’Varim (Deut.) 26:1-29:8
Haftorah Readings: Isaiah (Yesh’yahu) 60:1-22
This Shabbat marks exactly one week until Rosh Hashana, which begins next Friday evening at sundown. Our portion today begins with Moshe instructing the people concerning the bringing of first fruits to the temple in Jerusalem. As you may remember, G-d’s calendar begins with Passover, next comes First Fruits, followed by Rosh Hashana next week, then Yom Kippur and ending with Sukkot. I pray all of you take the time to study these coming holidays and see how they apply to your daily life and how they give an order to the year every year. Take the time to listen to what the Father is saying to each of you concerning these holidays.
Re’eh (See) D’Varim (Deut.) 11:26-16:17
Re’eh (See) D’Varim (Deut.) 11:26-16:17
Haftorah Readings: Isaiah (Yesh’yahu) 54:11-55:5
Today we read the Torah portion Re’eh. In the opening few verses, D’Varim/Deut. 11:26-28 we read these words, “Behold I set before you this day, a blessing and a curse. A blessing if you obey the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, which I command you this day. And a curse if you will not obey the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, but turn aside from the way I command you this day, to go after other gods, which you have not known.”
B’midbar (In the Desert) Numbers 1:1-4:20
Torah Portion: B’midbar (In the Desert) Numbers 1:1-4:20
Haftorah Readings: Hosea 1:10-2:20
Tonight, we begin the fourth book of the Torah. This book covers almost the entire time Israel spent in the wilderness. It has the fewest number of commandments of any book up until now. It is mainly a narrative that covers the coming of age of the Children of Israel before they enter the Promised Land.
Yitro (Jethro) Sh’mot/Exodus 18:1-20:23
Torah Portion: Yitro (Jethro) Sh’mot/Exodus 18:1-20:23
Haftorah Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6
Tonight, we read a Torah portion that contains some of the most iconic words in scripture, the Ten Commandments. But I would like to begin with my question this week about the Hebrew phrase found in Sh’mot/Exodus 18:10, “Baruch Ha Shem commonly translated as “Bless the L-rd.” What does it really mean to bless the L-rd? Does G-d need our blessing or does it have a deeper meaning that could almost be a statement of faith.
Vayetze (And He Went) B’resheet/Genesis 28:10-32:3
Torah Portion: Vayetze(And He Went) B’resheet/Genesis 28:10-32:3
Haftorah Reading Hosea 11:7-13:5
This Torah portion covers over 20 years of Ya’akov’s life. It starts with his escape from the wrath of his brother Esau and ends with him, along with his family, making the journey back to the Land of Promise. These verses cover many thought provoking points. However, I will concentrate on only two.
B’resheet (In the Beginning)B’resheet/Genesis 1:1-6:8
Torah Portion: B’resheet (In the Beginning) B’resheet/Genesis 1:1-6:8
HafTorah: Isaiah 42:5-43:10
To begin our study tonight I want to mention a few Hebrew words from our reading. The second word in B’resheet/Genesis 1 is “Bara”. This word means to create and is only used when describing what G-d creates. Bara means creating from nothing. Only G-d is able to create from nothing. Man uses things or substance to form or make something new.
Ha’azinu-Hear D’Varim/Deuteronomy 32
Torah Portion: Ha’azinu (Hear) D’Varim/Deut. 32
HafTorah: II Samuel 22:1-51
This week as we near the end of our yearly reading cycle we come to this portion. These verses are written in the style of a song or poem. It contains words that in Hebrew make it easy to remember. In fact many school children in Israel memorize this parasha and learn to sing it when they are in primary school.
Ekev (Following) D’Varim (Deut.) 7:12-11:25
Torah Portion Ekev (Following) D’Varim (Deut.) 7:12-11:25
Haftorah Reading: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 49:14-51:3
Tonight I want us to look at a couple of places in this Torah portion to find what we can hear that will help us in our daily walk with the Father. First, I want to draw your attention to my second question of the week. What is the prominent verb we read over and over in the Book of Devarim/Deut.? In verse 9:1 we hear the Shema in Hebrew. I believe we have talked of this word before but I want us to go over it in some depth today. This word appears over 90 times in this book of the Bible. It can be seen as the key to understanding what Moshe is communicating to the people in his last speech before his death. First, I want us to have a clear understanding of the word Shema. In Hebrew it is used to mean “to hear, to listen, to pay attention, to understand to internalize or to respond.” It is the closest word in biblical Hebrew to express the term, “to obey.” Sometimes for us, as part of the western culture, hearing is not something that we do naturally on a deep level. The sense we us most often is seeing. This is a hold over from the Greek influence in our lives. We see this in our language, I see, foresight, hindsight, insight, vision and phrases such as “it appears.” These are only a few of the ways sight dominates our thoughts and language. By contrast Hebrew the world of Moshe and Yeshua was immersed in hearing, really hearing. It was a culture of the ear more than the eye. We read this word “Shema” or one of its derivatives used to express proof of a certain point like, come and hear, hear from this, he could not hear it.
Ha’azinu (Hear) D’varim (Deut) 32
Torah Portion: Ha’azinu (Hear) D’varim (Deut) 32
Tonight we read the Torah portion known as Ha’azinu, translated as “Give ear.” This portion is almost entirely composed of the “Song of Moshe.” In this song Moshe speaks of Israel’s falling away from G-d in the years following his death. He called all of Israel together to hear his words. He also commanded them to teach the words to their children and pass this song down through the generations to come. This song is given as witness to the falling away of G-d’s people and the suffering they would undergo because of their wanderings. However, it ends on a note of hope as the Father reminds Israel of who He is and who they are. They are His people and He would provide atonement for them. Deut. 32:43.