B’Har (On the Mountain) Vayikra/Leviticus 25:1-26:2

B’Har(On the Mountain)Vayikra/Leviticus 25:1-26:2

Haftorah Reading: Jeremiah 32:6-27

Tonight I want to begin our time together by looking at a set of holidays that we seldom take time to study indepth.  These include Shabbat, the Shmitah year and Jubilee year. What do these three teach us and why are they important to remember?

Tetzaveh (You are to command) Exodus/Sh’mot 27:20-30:10

Tetzaveh(You are to command)Exodus/Sh’mot 27:20-30:10

Haftorah Reading: Ezekiel 43:10-27

This Sabbath I have a few points I want to cover with you. I believe each of these points are spiritually relevant to our lives today. They should speak to each of us in our personal walk.

To begin, I want to share an example I read this week from a good friend who lives in Jerusalem. It concerned him buying olive oil for lighting his menorah on the Shabbat. According to scripture, pure pressed olive oil was used to light the candles in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. This friend lights his Shabbat candles each Friday at sundown to welcome the Sabbath. As he was shopping for oil he found it would be much cheaper to buy sunflower oil or other substitutes for his menorah than pure pressed olive oil. Olive oil was double the price of sunflower oil. After thinking about it he decided to follow scripture and use what was prescribed there and not use a substitute. 

Bo (Come) Exodus/Sh’mot 10:1-13:16

 Bo(Come)Exodus/Sh’mot 10:1-13:16

Today we study what may be the most important Torah portion of the year. In the very first verse we read where G-d told Moshe to, “Come” to Pharaoh. Here Moshe was to relate to Pharaoh G-d’s final three plagues, locust, darkness and death of the first born. Sh’mot 10:1 reads, “And the L-rd said to Moshe, Come to Pharaoh.”  In all other times G-d told Moshe to go to Pharaoh. Why was the word “come” used here? I believe this gives all of us an important clues to the character of the Father. G-d was telling Moshe that no matter what we face G-d will be with us. He will already be there before us. Our faith should be strengthened by the use of this small word in this verse. 

B’Har (On Mount) Lev.25:1-26:2 and B’chukkotai (By My Regulations) Leviticus 26:3-27:34

Torah Portion: B’Har (On Mount) Lev.25:1-26:2 and B’chukkotai (By My Regulations) Leviticus 26:3-27:34

Haftorah Reading: Jeremiah 32:6-27 and 16:19-17:14

Messianic Scripture  Luke 4:16-21 and I Cor. 7:21-24

Today we finish studying the book of Leviticus for this cycle of Torah. In chapter 26:3-6 we read of G-d’s promise to Israel, “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield it’s increase. I will give you peace in the land.”

Vayak’hel (He Assembled) Exodus(Sh’mot) 35:1-38:20

Torah Portion:  Vayak’hel (He Assembled) Exodus(Sh’mot) 35:1-38:20

Haftorah Reading: I Kings 7:13-26, 7:40-50

 

Tonight, we cover basically two major subjects in this portion. We start off with G-d giving His directions about the Shabbat, a subject I want to cover in a few minutes and get your thoughts on the question I sent out this week.

Ki Tisa (When You Take) Exodus Sh’mot 30-34

Our portion begins with G-d’s instructions to Moshe about counting the people of Israel. It also contains the infamous, “golden calf” section when the people demand of Aaron to make for them a god. We read of the setting aside of Shabbat before the constuction of the Mishkan.

B’Shallach (He Sent) Sh’mot (Exodus) 10-13

Torah Portion: Sh’mot Exodus 10-13 B’shallach (He Sent)

HafTorah:  Judges 4:4-5:31

Tonight we read about the crossing of the Reed Sea, the provision of manna and the attack of the Amalikites. I believe G-d has much to say to us about faith and how to live that faith out everyday of our lives.

Maybe it would be good to start with my second question of the week. What is the connection between manna and Sabbath, if anything? We will end with my first question, How do we glorify G-d? As we look at the connection between manna and the Sabbath, remember the people had been slaves for hundreds of years. Their lives had been lived in a strange land far from the fulfillment of G-d’s promises. So, as they left Egypt, we wonder, what did they know if anything about who they were and what connection did they have with the promises of G-d to Avraham, Yitzak and Ya’acove?

Vayelech (He Went) D’varim(Deut.) 31

Torah Portion:  Vayelech (He Went) D’varim(Deut.) 31

Haftorah Reading: Hosea 14:1-10; Micah 7:18-20, Joel 2:15-27

The Torah portion we are studying tonight is always the portion read right before Yom Kippur. I want us to spend some time talking about Yom Kippur and how this appointed time might speak to us spiritually in our own lives.

This Shabbat is known as “Shabbat Shuvah.” This means the Sabbath of Repentance. The reason for this is found in the verses from Isaiah 55:6-56:8, especially the verses 55:6-7, “Seek the L-rd while He may be found.” This brings up an interesting question. Is there ever a time when He cannot be found? In Jeremiah 7:16 we read, “Therefore do not pray for this, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me, for I will not hear you.” This same idea appears three more times in Jeremiah 11:14, 14:11, and 15:1. The last being the strongest, “Even if Moshe and Samuel stood before Me.” From these we can see there are times when G-d will not hear.

Vayak’hel (He Assembled) Sh’mot Exodus 35-38

Torah Portion:  Vayak’hel  (He Assembled)(Sh’mot) Exodus 35-38

Haftorah Reading: I Kings 7:13-26; I Kings 7:40-50

In this Torah portion we cover the giving of the offering by the people for the building of the Mishkan or Tabernacle as well as the picking of the man chosen by G-d to oversee the construction of the Mishkan as well as the art work.

Vayelech (And He Went) D’Varim (Deut.) 31

Torah Portion:  Vayelech (And He Went) D’Varim (Deuteronomy) 31

HafTorah: Hosea 14:1-10, Micah 7:18-20, Joel 2:15-27

Today I want us to look at this chapter and see what it teaches us about “doing.” This Sabbath is called, “Shabbat Shura.” Shuvah is the word for repentance.  Moshe speaks here on the last day of his life to a people he has led for the last 40 years. These are his parting words. We have seen him over the course of this last book of Torah recount the forty years of wandering.  Here he is telling the people to come together every seven years and hear the story again.