For the week of November 15, 2025 / 25 Heshvan 5786

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Hayyei Sarah
Torah: Bereshit/Genesis 23:1 – 25:18
Haftarah: 1 Melachim/1 Kings 1:1-31
Originally posted the week of November 23, 2019 / 25 Heshvan 5780

Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” (Bereshit/Genesis 23:12-13)

This week’s parsha (Torah reading portion) provides a look-see into the trading customs of ancient Canaan, many hundreds of years before Joshua and the people of Israel acquired it. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, had died and needed a burial place. We can assume that others among Abraham’s entourage had passed away beforehand, but it is only now that we read of a need to purchase property for this purpose. It could be that public burial grounds were appropriate for Abraham’s servants, but not for his own family. The cave of Machpelah was suitable for more than just Sarah. Abraham himself, plus Isaac and his wife Rebecca, as well as Jacob and his wife Leah, were eventually buried there.

When Abraham inquired after this piece of property, its owner offered the cave as a burial place at no charge. Yet Abraham insisted upon paying for not only the cave but the field it was part of. Clearly, Abraham had the foresight to secure a family burial place that could still be used after Sarah’s death. But there may have been something else going on. Abraham’s need to bury his wife set up a situation whereby his family would have a claim, albeit small, upon the land. God had promised Canaan to his descendants, but as of yet, Abraham had not acquired any portion whatsoever. Sarah’s death provided such an opportunity.

This wise move on Abraham’s part forever established his and his family’s presence in what would become a most contentious region of the world. Perhaps all he wanted was a family burial plot. Regardless, his thinking beyond the immediate need he faced for his wife resulted in a legal foundation to retain the Promised Land through innumerable challenges in the subsequent centuries.

People of faith may tend to downplay human strategy in the fulfillment of God’s purposes. We might assume that the more detached we are from practicalities and human effort, the better. Indeed, God has accomplished amazing things through extraordinary happenings. Yet, the extraordinary often works in concert with the ordinary. The person of faith understands that reliance upon God, his guidance and power, is essential to a legitimate and meaningful relationship with him. However, reliance on God doesn’t negate the need to appropriately use the vast array of tools God has given us to live effective, godly lives. One of those tools is intelligence.

Intelligence is the utilization of thought to effectively engage the world around us. It requires an awareness of one’s environment, an understanding of how life works (both in the general and the specific), and the ability to interact with others to achieve a desired result. As a tool, intelligence can be used for good or evil. For the person of faith, loyalty to God and his ways is first and foremost the platform upon which life is to be lived. But to live an effective, godly life is more than possessing moral fiber and basic spirituality; it also demands well-informed smarts.

Too often, we accept the false premise that understanding the world in which we live undermines faith. Disciplines such as science are only problematic not when they inform us too much, but when they inform us too little. True intelligence can take supposed discoveries and help us to understand how best to integrate them within the world we live. True intelligence acknowledges that we live in a complex world and requires patience and insight, as exemplified by Abraham.

We shouldn’t be afraid to think, to ponder, to plan, to strategize. God has given his human creatures the gift of intelligence as a key tool to engage the world he made. True faith is an intelligent faith; one that effectively and successfully engages life to further God’s purposes.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of November 8, 2025 / 17 Heshvan 5786

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Vayera
Torah: Bereshit/Genesis 18:1 – 22:24
Haftarah: 2 Melachim/2 Kings 4:1-37
Originally posted the week of November 4, 2017 / 15 Heshvan 5778 (updated)

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. (Bereshit/Genesis 20:2)

I like to say, “truth is stranger than fiction,” because it’s true. It’s one of the things that evidences the reliability of the Bible. No one could—or should I say, “would”—make this stuff up. The life of Abraham is wrapped around God’s giving him a son in his and his wife Sarah’s old age. Early on, when he first journeyed to the land of Canaan, despite their infertility, he accepted God’s word to him regarding becoming a great nation one day. Eventually, he became concerned that no child was forthcoming, but at God’s reassurance, he trusted that he would indeed have a child of his own. More time went by; still no child. His wife suggested surrogate motherhood as the solution. Abraham agreed and had a son, Ishmael, via Sarah’s servant Hagar. Problem solved—or so he thought—until God appeared to him again, saying that Sarah herself would have the child of promise, Isaac. It was soon afterwards that he did something really strange: he jeopardized God’s plan.

What happened was Sarah was taken by a local king. It is clear that this happened soon after the Isaac promise, because if Sarah would have been visibly pregnant, then she wouldn’t have been taken. The king was led to believe that she was Abraham’s sister, not his wife. This was a ruse Abraham and Sarah had agreed upon as they embarked on their God-ordained journey many years before. Abraham was afraid that someone might kill him in order to steal his wife. He had figured that if she were taken, his life would most likely be spared. That he was, in fact, her half-brother made their ruse more believable, though no less deceitful.

This was the second time he had almost lost her. Soon after arriving in the Land of Canaan, they went down to Egypt to escape famine, where Pharaoh took her. Both times God intervened, and she was returned to her husband unscathed. Both times, Abraham was well-compensated, despite himself. But both times, he had risked completely undermining God’s plans and purposes for their lives. All because of fear.

That part of the story isn’t strange. Fear blinds us to the truth, resulting in destructive behavior. At least blind people know they’re blind, while fear tricks us into thinking that it functions like high-definition glasses. We think we see the world clearer than ever even though the image of life we’re engaging is completely skewed.

After all those years living as a foreigner in the Promised Land; after all those years of God’s protection and reiterations of his grand plan, by now wouldn’t Abraham, the Father of Faith, be free of such fear? Didn’t God just recently promise that Sarah would have a child? Even if he was afraid, couldn’t he muster up enough courage to avoid losing her at this most precarious time in their lives? If this were a made-up story, who would have thought up this: elderly Sarah, unusually beautiful though she was, being taken by another man just before Isaac was to be conceived. We would never imagine the hero of a story crumbling like this at this point. And yet in reality, such is the nature of fear.

What’s even stranger to me is that everything works out okay. But that’s because God’s faithfulness is perhaps the strangest thing in the entire universe! Our fears are not going to get in the way of God’s plans. And if we are part of those plans, he is going to work out our lives accordingly. That doesn’t mean that misjudgment rooted in fear is acceptable; or that serious consequences may not result. So much trouble is avoided by trusting in God, the fruit of which is right living. But at the same time, God is patient with us—and faithful. While he wants us always to trust him and not fear, it’s not as if our fears cause him to abandon us.

I wish the reality of true faith chased away every fear. I wish I was never intimidated by life’s challenges. Sometimes I find myself freaked out on the roller coaster of life, forgetting that it’s not my grasp of the cart that keeps me from being flung out. God firmly holds his children through everything, committed to never leaving us or forsaking us. We have every reason not to fear, but we do anyway. We shouldn’t; but we do. God can handle it. And maybe the more we realize that, the less we will fear.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of November 1, 2025 / 10 Heshvan 5786

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Lech Lecha
Torah: Bereshit/Genesis 12:1 – 17:27
Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27 – 41:16

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Bereshit/Genesis 12:1–3)

It’s tough not to get sentimental when coming back around to this parsha. It was twenty-eight years ago this week on the Jewish calendar that I attempted something radical—a weekly online messianic Torah commentary. The Internet was still catching on, and I didn’t know if my writing would catch on as well. But here we are, twenty-eight years later, and for now, TorahBytes is still being produced, not only in text format, but in audio as well, and more recently, a YouTube version. Be sure to check out the website for all past messages.

There are so many layers to the call of Avram (in English we say, Abram), whose name was later changed to Avraham (English: Abraham). This passage could be taken as the real start of the Bible’s overall story, following the essential but introductory subject matter of the eleven previous chapters. It’s there that we learn of God’s good creation that he cursed due to our first parents’ disobedience. While he hints at an eventual resolution to evil and its influence early on, the outworking of that plan doesn’t get going until God tells Avram to “get going” as he entrusts him with a mission designed to bless the entire world.

It’s difficult for us to fully appreciate the great risk Avram willingly took on. And yet he did so, but not without God’s assurance that he would watch his back, based on these words from Bereshit/Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse.”

While in its immediate context, God is promising special protection to Avram specifically, this should be understood as an integral part of the overall unconditional covenantal package given to the people of Israel. This is based on the covenant’s being passed on to his son Isaac (Bereshit/Genesis 26:3–4) and later, to his grandson Jacob (Bereshit/Genesis 27:27–29; 28:13–15), whose name was changed to Israel from whom the nation is derived.

Now, I would like to share an important promise dynamic that I have missed for most of my life. Many English translations fail to reflect the original wording by falsely creating an exact parallel of the blessing and cursing phrases. For example, the New International Version (NIV) reads, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse,” which is the way I have tended to remember it. That’s because in my first thirty years as a Yeshua follower, my go-to Bibles were first, the New American Standard Version, which is very similar to the NIV in this regard, and then the NIV, which I just read to you. Even though I have been using the English Standard Version (ESV) for about twenty years, I didn’t notice that it was different: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse.” The Hebrew uses barach, meaning “to bless,” twice, but is then followed by kalal, meaning “to belittle,” and arar, meaning “to curse,” a difference reflected in only a few translations. For the record, the two other occurrences of this blessing/cursing-type statement, found in Bereshit/Genesis 27:29 and B’midbar/Numbers 24:9, do use “arar” (to curse) twice, but that should not give translators the green light to not reflect the word differently in God’s promise to Avram.

God was not simply promising Avram that he would only confront those who formally curse him or his promised descendants. God made clear to him that the world would not get away with mistreating him or his people in any way, even if it were simply looking down on them. Israel was called to be God’s chosen nation through whom he would bless the world. Whether the individuals were aware of this or not, we (since I myself am Jewish) have been set aside as holy vessels for his purposes. If anyone messes with what belongs to God, he will mess with them.

Scriptures taken from English Standard Version unless otherwise indicated

For the week of October 25, 2025 / 3 Heshvan 5786

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Noach
Torah: Bereshit/Genesis 6:9-11:32
Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1 – 55:5
Originally posted the week of October 24, 2020 / 6 Heshvan 5781 (updated)

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” (Bereshit/Genesis 9:1)

I am the main computer person at home. It helps that for years I worked in high tech, including providing computer training and technical support. Through the years, most of the time, my family has no issues with their various technical devices, but every now and then, they would need my help: the screen is frozen, the mouse is stuck, the sound isn’t working, the web browser is too slow, a program won’t open, and so on. These things don’t happen as often as they once did, but when the solution isn’t obvious, I often suggest restarting. Restarting clears out any data that may be lodged in memory and resets the computer, tablet, or phone. There are times when this is not the answer. Depending on the device, loose cables may need tightening, programs may need to be reinstalled, a virus might be present, who knows? The solutions to many of these problems are often fairly simple, except for viruses. Restarting won’t repair physical damage, of course, but before taking more drastic measures, it’s always worth a try. But do remember to save your work before doing so when necessary. Otherwise, information may be lost forever.

Our planet is a very complex system within a larger complex system, the universe. This week’s Torah portion is about the time when the system of life on earth was so problematic that it needed to be restarted. After Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s directions, human existence went from bad to worse. Near the end of last week’s parsha (weekly Torah reading portion), we read: “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Bereshit/Genesis 6:5). Every intention of the heart was continually evil! That’s pretty bad! The passage goes on to say: “And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart” (Bereshit/Genesis 6:6). It is difficult for us to conceive how God could regret anything, but he did. Time to restart!

I imagine he could have completely destroyed the Earth instead, but he didn’t. Having found one man who was in right relationship with him, Noah, he restarted the human race through him and his family. He then blessed him to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth,” the same words he had said to Adam and Eve (see Genesis/Bereshit 1:28).

By restarting the earth rather than replacing it altogether, God demonstrates his commitment to the system he created. The creation is essential to his grand plan. That might be hard for some people to understand or accept, for there is a tendency for spiritually minded people to view the material world as somewhat of a mistake. Associating evil with the creation itself is contrary to how the Bible regards life. Scripture views the material and the spiritual aspects of the creation as an integrated whole. We are called to love and serve God within the material world as integrated material/spiritual beings. The New Covenant Writings tell us that God’s motivation for sending the Messiah was that he “loved the world” (John 3:16). The Greek word for “world” here is “cosmos,” referring to the whole of creation, not just the people in it. Not only does God love the creation, but he continues to work out his plans and purposes within it, the culmination of which will be a new heavens and a new earth (see Isaiah 66:1-24; especially v. 22).

The new heavens and the new earth are not a restart, but a major upgrade. While there are aspects of the current system that will carry over to the new, there will be brand new features, some of which we have a taste of today through Yeshua the Messiah, including a right relationship with God, forgiveness, and healing. The new system will feature God’s personal presence on earth forever, along with the complete eradication of evil, sickness, and death.

You can experience the preliminary features of the upcoming upgrade right now, but only for a limited time! All you need to do is turn from self to God and trust in Yeshua’s death and resurrection. Your sins will be forgiven, you will have an intimate relationship with God, and you will live forever in his new creation. Act now before it’s too late!

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of October 18, 2025 / 26 Tishrei 5786

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Bereshit
Torah: Bereshit/Genesis 1:1 – 6:8
Haftarah: Isaiah 42:5-43:11
Originally posted the week of October 2, 2021 / 26 Tishrei 5782

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Bereshit/Genesis 1:28)

Some time ago, I read through the New English Translation, also called the NET Bible. One of its key features is its extensive notes. In 2021, when I first wrote this message, the NET Bible included a note that led me to consider an intriguing concept. It’s difficult to prove technically, which might be why the note has been removed since then. However, it seems to me that this idea is self-evident. The note was in reference to Bereshit/Genesis 1:22, where the word “blessed” is first found in the Bible. There it has to do with the sea creatures and birds. The second time blessed appears is in the verse I quoted at the start, regarding human beings.

The NET Bible note at the time made a connection between the Hebrew words for create and bless based on the similarity of their sounds. The Hebrew for create is bara; the Hebrew for bless is barach (check out the TorahBytes video version for the pronunciation). As far as I know, this similarity is purely coincidental. I doubt the early readers of the creation story would have thought to make a connection between creating and blessing, but there is one.

Torah is clear that God is the author of life. He is the originator, designer, and developer of all there is in the universe. He brought everything into existence by the exertion of his will through the power of his word. He himself is not created but eternal. The universe is not made up of his substance as if he used up part of himself and transformed it into something. Rather, he created everything out of nothing.

The suggestion of a close association between bara and barach caused me to be aware of a creative dynamic that is present in blessing. When God blesses something or someone, he fills it with life. It possesses health, strength, and all it needs to grow and to reproduce. It is the opposite of cursing, whereby life is removed, and death ensues.

The connection between create and bless should be obvious. One initiates life, the other enables it to come to fruition, realizing its potential. That God is both the one who creates and blesses underscores that he is more than the originator of life, but he’s also its ongoing sustainer. Creation is dependent upon him both for its origins and its continuation. But this is not the intriguing idea that came to me that day.

What dawned on me then was that the association of bara and barach is just as God created out of nothing, so he also blesses out of nothing. In the same way that God did not depend on pre-existing stuff to create the universe, so he doesn’t depend on pre-existing stuff to bless us.

Why is this important? Maybe it’s just me, but when I am in a difficult situation and I look to God to help me, I tend to base my expectations upon possible solutions that appear to exist. I think in terms of what’s possible. Sure, I give God some credit for being God, but I tend to think he is really good at fixing things that exist, but not necessarily providing solutions that require him to make something out of nothing. He did that at creation; he doesn’t do that now—or does he?

God’s blessing is not derived from his ability to manipulate that which already is. His blessing is based on himself, his infinite creative self. His resources, therefore, are unlimited. There’s nothing he can’t do. I can’t say I know how this works. But instead of my focusing on possibilities, I need to expect the impossible. Blessing is dependent upon God and not on the world around me.

Recognizing this connection between bara and barach is essential to effectively facing today’s challenges. Many people are confused, frustrated, and depressed. But that’s not necessary when we know the One who blesses out of nothing. Once we accept that his possibilities are limitless, we can be open to anything he wants to do in and through us.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of October 11, 2025 / 19 Tishrei 5786

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Sukkot
Torah: Shemot/Exodus 33:12 – 34:26; B’midbar/Numbers 29:23-31
Haftarah: Ezekiel 38:18 – 39:16

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” (Shemot/Exodus 33:18)

The weekly TorahBytes message follows this reflection on the October 7 second anniversary:

I was preparing this a few days prior to the second anniversary of the most devastating day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. On October 7, 2023, Gazan terrorists broke into Israel and murdered about 1200 people, including the elderly, young people, babies, and foreign nationals. They also took about 250 hostages. Since then about 150 have been released, several have been killed, and about twenty are alive among those who are still being held. What many have been oblivious to is that dark day also unleashed a wave of worldwide antisemitism that has rarely, if ever, been seen, as cries of “Death to the Jews!” have been heard around the world, and unprovoked attacks on Jewish individuals have occurred, including where I live in Canada’s federal capital.

While October 7^th and the specter of Jew-hatred constantly weigh heavily on our hearts, the grief is especially great as we approach the two-year mark. Too many people continue to victimize the victims of terror instead of sharing God’s perspective and standing with God’s covenant people (Genesis 12:3; Romans 9 –11).

As we are currently in the High Holy Day season, a time of reflection, restoration, and thanksgiving, we grapple with the tension between God’s faithfulness and ongoing suffering. The October 7 attack occurred on Simchat Torah (English: rejoicing over the Torah), one of the most joyous days of the year, as the Jewish world marks the end of the fall festivals and celebrates the restarting of the annual Torah reading cycle. While we struggle through these dark days, God’s Word continues to give us hope. Not only does it foretell better days ahead for those who submit themselves to the God of Israel, it does so in a way that accurately reflects the complexities and challenges of living in our broken world. Am Yisrael Chai! The people of Israel live!

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This week’s TorahBytes message:

This week’s parsha (weekly Torah reading) is special for the intermediate days of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles/Booths). It was likely chosen due to its mention of the festival (see (Shemot/Exodus 34:22), where it is called Chag Ha-Asif, the Feast of Ingathering, most likely referencing its function as a harvest festival.

The reading also contains one of the most intense interactions between Moses and God. Israel was in a precarious state due to the incident of the Golden Calf. Moses had been on Mount Sinai, receiving God’s Holy Word, while the people were cavorting with idols below. In response, God was preparing to wipe out the people completely and continue his mission by making Moses a new nation. Yet Moses prevailed upon God to relent by appealing to God’s own reputation and faithfulness. As Moses continued to intercede for the people, he earnestly sought greater and greater assurances from God that he would not abandon them, eventually asking him: “Har-eni na et-k’vodecha” (English: “Let me see your glory!”). Moses was asking for a revelation of God even greater than anything he had already experienced. He wanted to see a completely unobscured manifestation of God’s honor and character.

God’s response was a “yes and no”:

“I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Shemot/Exodus 33:19–20).

God was willing to grant Moses a partial revelation of his glory, knowing that he would not survive the fullness of what he was asking for.

This moment captures the overarching tension between God and human beings ever since he went looking for Adam in the Garden (see Bereshit/Genesis 3:9). Ever since our first parents’ rebellion against God, the whole creation has suffered within a cursed brokenness. What Moses experienced with God that day illustrates this tension. The God of all, the God of Israel, wants to fully connect with his beloved human creatures, but sin has created an impenetrable barrier so that we can never get too close. That is, until the coming of the Messiah.

In the midst of the High Holy Days is Yom Kippur, the Day of the Atonement, which occurred this year on October 2^nd. In the days of the Mishkan (English: the Tabernacle) and the later Temple, this day—just as we see with Moses—illustrates our alienation from God. He wants us near, but our sin prevents it. Year after year, the rituals of this day maintained the Temple’s purity in the midst of a sinful world as manifested through the Chosen People. But the enactments of that day were temporary until the permanent resolution occurred, the arrival of Yeshua the Messiah, “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Year after year, on Yom Kippur, the high priest would confess the sins of the people upon the head of one of the two special sacrificial goats and send it off into the wilderness to demonstrate the carrying away of the nation’s sin (see Vayikra/Leviticus 16:21–22). Yet, he had to repeat it year after year, reminding us of its long-term ineffectiveness, unlike Yeshua’s sacrifice that truly “takes away the sin of the world.”

As a result, we have what Moses wanted, unfettered access to God: “We have confidence to use the way into the Holiest Place opened by the blood of Yeshua” (Hebrews 10:19; Complete Jewish Bible).

Because of what Yeshua has done, we have unobstructed access to God’s presence. Our sin, which alienated us from God, has been dealt with, allowing us to engage God in a way that Moses could only have dreamt of.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise indicated

For the week of October 4, 2025 / 12 Tishri 5786

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Ha’azinu
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 32:1-52
Haftarah: 2 Samuel 22:1-51
Originally posted the week of September 18, 2021 / 12 Tishri 5782 (updated)

Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you? (D’varim/Deuteronomy 32:6)

It is fairly common among scholars to downplay the presence of key New Testament concepts found in the Hebrew Scriptures. These include, for example, forgiveness, life after death, and the complex unity of God. While it is correct to note that there is a difference regarding the prevalence of such concepts within these two sections of the Bible, it is incorrect that a relatively low amount of occurrences necessarily implies a lack of importance.

One such concept is the idea of “God as father.” In the New Covenant Writings (the New Testament) it is the chief identifier of God. Yeshua almost exclusively spoke of God in this way. He also instructed his followers to address God as “Our Father.” One might regard this shift in emphasis as an intentional contrast to earlier scripture in the sense that under the Old Covenant, God was seen as distant and detached, while Yeshua introduced a more intimate and familiar version of God. Both Christian and Jewish thought often want to find contrasts like this in order to disassociate Christianity from Judaism. But to do so, one needs to ignore what is really going on in the Bible.

It is true that God as father is a rarity in the Hebrew Scriptures, but it is there a few times, including its first occurrence found in this week’s parsha (weekly Torah reading). And that’s in addition to other references to God having father-like characteristics.

Moses’ use of “father” for God as part of his final words to Israel is most instructive. After all that he and the people had been through the past forty years, and as he confronts the people regarding their inevitable unfaithfulness, he urges them to respond appropriately to God based on his being their father. Directly calling God “father” sheds light on what God said to Moses forty years earlier regarding his confrontation of Pharaoh: “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son’” (Shemot/Exodus 4:22-23). To mess with God’s people was to mess with his family. In the days and years ahead for Israel, does it matter how often the term “father” is used in Hebrew scripture? Isn’t one reference enough to be struck by the overwhelming nature of such a relationship?

The people of Israel were delivered from tyranny to serve a new master and Lord. Yet, this master was no tyrant. Instead, God, as father, was dedicated to care, provide, and guide his children. Tragically, it would remain difficult for Israel to accept God’s fatherly heart towards them. Due to the broken nature of humanity, the hearts of the people were constantly pulled away from God and his ways. Yet, our Heavenly Father would not give up. Instead, he determined to transform our nature into one in keeping with his own (see Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36).

God’s role as father of Israel reveals to us God’s heart for all people. As our Creator, whose familial relationship with humanity was broken due to our first parents’ misguided and selfish actions, he longs for restoration. His heart is to regain a relational intimacy between a loving father and his wayward children. Made in his image, we all bear his resemblance, while our actions reflect the nature of rebels. God’s broken fatherly heart, however, could not accept our alienation from his love. And so, in the name of family, his Son, Yeshua the Messiah, completely gave himself up to restore God’s children to him. God’s determination as Israel’s father is that which cleared the way for people of all nations to have the opportunity to be equally part of his family.

We need to come to grips with the implications of God’s identity as our father. Sadly, this is obscured by the confusion over the general fatherly role in our society today. Too many people have suffered from absent or abusive fathers. It is said that we often envision God as a reflection of our earthly dads. But it doesn’t have to work that way. Whatever our experience has been with our natural fathers, we can look to the loving, powerful, close, communicative care of our Heavenly Father as revealed in Scripture. For he is our true father.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of September 27, 2025 / 5 Tishri 5786

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Vayeilech (Shabbat Shuva)
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 31:1-30
Haftarah: Hosea 14:2-10 (English: 14:1-9); Micah 7:18-20; Joel 2:15-17
Originally posted the week of September 22, 2012 / 6 Tishri 5773 (updated)

And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods. (D’varim / Deuteronomy 31:18)

I was once sharing the story of how I came to believe in Yeshua with a relative. At one point, he mentioned a common criticism of the New Covenant Writings—that it was antisemitic. I then explained how the critical statements of the Jewish people found in the New Covenant Writings are similar to those contained in the Hebrew Bible. And just like the Hebrew Bible, much of the conflict found therein should be regarded as a family dispute—Jewish people confronting other Jewish people over what’s right and what’s wrong. It’s tragic how Jewish people have been embittered towards Christianity due to the way non-Jews have often used our own self-criticism against us. There is a big difference between my criticizing my own family and when an outsider does it (especially when they use my words!).

I mentioned to my relative that some of the harsh words against our own people in the Hebrew Bible are actually stronger than those contained in the New Covenant Writings. Moses himself, before he died, was directed by God to ensure the people understood that in the future they would suffer bitterly for turning away from God. This week’s Torah portion uses very strong language to describe this. Throughout the Hebrew Bible are similar criticisms, dire warnings, and harsh judgments against Israel.

That non-Jews, especially Christians, would use such negative words from the Bible against us is one of the greatest hypocrisies of all time. Doing this exposes a profound lack of self-awareness and Bible knowledge. One of the purposes of God’s choosing Israel was to demonstrate to all nations the whole world’s failure before God. As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans:

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. (Romans 3:19)

God used Israel’s failure to keep the Torah to reveal to the whole world the sin problem which oppresses us all, Jew and non-Jew alike.

God chose the people of Israel to be an object lesson to the world. Israel’s failure to live up to God’s standards is an example of what any nation would do in that same situation. Whoever we are, if we don’t see ourselves in the life of ancient Israel as reported in the pages of Scripture, we don’t realize that we have been looking in a mirror. For anyone to claim that they are any better is to be languishing in the worst kind of denial.

Thankfully, Israel’s tragic role as being the nation picked by God to demonstrate common human sinfulness is not what being the Chosen People is all about. God’s directing Moses to ensure the people knew about their destined failure was not to discourage them, but to help them recognize their need.

The coming of the Messiah marks the culmination of Israel’s long prophetic history, which began with the words of Moses. Israel, like all people, required a clear confrontation of its sin. The high holidays, which are currently upon us again, are designed for the kind of self-reflection necessary to come to grips with our need for God. Once we honestly acknowledge the depths of our sinfulness, we will be in a place where we can receive God’s provision of forgiveness and restoration in the Messiah.

Scriptures taken from English Standard Version

For the week of September 20, 2025 / 27 Elul 5785

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Nitzavim
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 29:9 – 30:20 (English: 29:10 – 30:20)
Haftarah: Isaiah 61:10 – 63:9
Originally posted the week of September 8, 2018 / 28 Elul 5778 (updated)

Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the LORD our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, “I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” (D’varim/Deuteronomy 29:17-18; English: 29:18-19)

In this week’s parsha (weekly Torah reading portion), Moses reminds the people not to take their relationship with God for granted. Instead, they were to be conscious of the danger of turning away to other gods. Moses explains that this danger can be subtle, since the pull towards falsehood didn’t solely exist in the external world around them, but also within their own hearts. Unless they were actively aware of this, they could easily deceive themselves. The subtlety, however, was not due to the possibility of temptation toward ungodly behavior, but how individuals might respond to that temptation.

It’s one thing to feel drawn toward illicit behavior. Fighting temptation can be overwhelming. In those times, we can tend to overly identify with the temptation, thinking we have no choice but to fulfill desires we may normally loathe. But that’s not Moses’ concern here. It’s not the false gods themselves that are the problem. It’s that there is something worse at play here—an attitude—an attitude that almost certainly guarantees succumbing to the lure of ungodliness in its countless forms.

This attitude is expressed in Hebrew as “hitbarech bilvavo lemor shalom yi-ye-li” (“he will bless his heart saying, I have peace in me”). In the translation I quoted at the beginning, the Hebrew “shalom,” the common word for “peace,” is translated as “safety.” It’s a way of saying that they are “at peace” within their current situation.

Despite their feelings, however, this is an absolute denial of reality. Turning from God’s word to pursue the lies and perverted behaviors of false gods creates havoc for those who do such things as well as for their relationships. It’s not as if these people are ignorant of what they are doing. They have heard God’s Word. They understand the warnings. They even know they are stubbornly refusing to do what God says. Yet their sense of peace creates a self-centered false security that prevents them from doing what is good and right, blinding them to the inevitable doom that awaits them.

You might be surprised if I told you that the basis of this deceptive peace is fear. Human beings can be so afraid of fear that we shut it out completely. In order to avoid terrible consequences, we convince ourselves that everything is okay, when it is anything but. We prevent ourselves from feeling fear by feeding ourselves falsehoods, such as what we are considering isn’t all that bad, our situation is an exception to the rule, or that God doesn’t really mean what he says. The positive feedback from these lies is so strong that it becomes reality to us. At that point, the deception is complete, and we’re living in a world of our own making. In that world, God’s truth appears as false.

Feelings of peace on their own indicate nothing. Both good and bad feelings may or may not reflect the reality of our hearts or the world around us. Confidence is a good thing, but not when it’s ill-informed. The only trustworthy indication of reality is God’s Word. To think that we can get away with misbehavior based on a personal sense of peace is nothing less than crazy.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of September 13, 2025 / 20 Elul 5785

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Ki Tavo
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8
Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22

Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion. (Isaiah 60:10)

Frankly, I don’t get it! I don’t understand how it could be that so many people who claim to love and respect the Bible are entirely clueless about God’s relationship to the Jewish people. It’s not that I don’t understand, since I have spent so much time—perhaps too much time—grappling with various expressions of Christian antisemitism. I am aware of a significant portion of the historical background and theological dynamics that influence this misguided thinking. But still, it’s not as if God hasn’t made himself clear on this issue.

I admit that some of the ways the people of Israel are characterized and criticized throughout both the Hebrew Scriptures and New Covenant Writings can lead people to draw some fairly negative conclusions. But that’s only if you ignore the rest. About a month ago, I commented on how these misreadings of such passages trouble me. Still, I know that some of these passages are seriously harsh.

This week’s parsha (weekly Torah portion) is one of the sections of Scripture that lists God’s blessings for obedience and his curses for disobedience. That the leaders and people of Israel were under a cloud of God’s disapproval for much of biblical history is clear. The threat of judgment increased over the years, culminating in exile. The return from Babylon provided little comfort as the prophetic warnings didn’t wane.

Israel’s precarious state under the Sinai Covenant, as given through Moses, continued into the New Covenant Writings. If anything, the coming of the Messiah shone an even more intense light upon Israel’s inability to live up to God’s standards. This doesn’t mean that there weren’t exceptions, of course. From Abraham and Joseph to Moses and Joshua, to Samuel and David, to Elijah and Elisha, to Isaiah and Jeremiah, to Peter and Paul, and all the other named and unnamed holy ones, Israel always had a remnant of faithful, godly men and women (see Romans 11:5). Tragically, however, these didn’t prevent God’s wrath from falling upon the nation more than once.

But is that the entire picture of God’s relationship to Israel? God didn’t seem to think so, as is evident in this week’s accompanying reading from the prophet Isaiah. Despite God’s judgment upon Israel, he will restore them. As we read, “Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion” (Isaiah 60:10).

I wonder if people simply have a hard time grasping the reality of the tension that exists between God and his ancient covenant people. It’s a lot easier for people to understand a much more straightforward narrative of disobedience and rejection. Moreover, it appears that some regard Israel’s disobedience as proof of their being impostors, as if God was biding his time until the “authentic” Israel would emerge in the Messiah. That might make an interesting story, but it’s not the biblical one.

I am aware of how specific biblical passages are used to support such a notion, but that overlooks the Bible as a whole. Why can’t people see that God’s promises of restoration only make sense if they are spoken to the very people who are under the threat of judgment? God, through Isaiah, is clear: “Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion.” The ones guaranteed favor are the ones he is angry with. The threat of judgment due to disobedience under the Sinai Covenant was always in tension with the unconditional promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No matter how bad things get for Israel and whatever the resulting consequences, God’s covenant loyalty to Israel as a nation continues. If you don’t get that, you don’t get the God of the Bible.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For more on this topic see the following “Thinking Biblically” podcast episode: