On the Parasha "Re'eh" - and more so, on Jeremiah 26, this sermon explores the necessity of learning how, when situations turn upside down, to get them right-side up again; especially when some sort of "goodness" from God, expected by us because it was promised IN GENERAL by Him, does not make its way to us as individuals in real life, and our little boat capsizes. You can't sail if you can't handle your boat getting blown over - and also handle getting it "righted." Scripture gives us powerful tools for this.

Piggy-backing off of last week's Torah, "you have been SHOWN to know" – this week focuses from the current parasha, "Ekev" on what we "know" as PROVEN propositions, AND what we have come to "know" by EXPERIENCE; and how we can use all these to neutralize fear when under pressure to make decisions having much at stake in them.

For Shabbat "Nachamu" ("comfort") after Tisha B'av ... the kind of comfort that comes from having been, as this week's Torah portion "V'Etchanen" describes –– "shown to know." The comfort of having seen clearly, so as to know clearly - and thus, be able to choose with certainty a forward path in conformity with truth.

In this week's passage giving Israel's gathered "leaders of tribes" moral-guidance directives about vow-keeping, the word for "tribe" is actually the word "mateh" for a "shepherds staff" - not "shevet" - the most common word for tribe, a "scepter" as a symbol of governmental authority. "Matot" reads oddly on the page. Why is this the word God's Spirit put into the pen of Moses at this moment? We explore exactly that this week: why.

All of Israel just stood and watched; but Pinchas acted; because he felt the same "zeal" God felt. What is the right kind of "zeal?" How do we acquire zeal that is healthy? People have zeal for many things, ranging from exalted pursuits like human rights to mere spending of time, in hobbies like video gaming, activity clubs, tv bing-viewing, etc. How do we rightly acquire and rightly use healthy zeal?

Invited to give the Erev Shabbat sermon via "Zoom" on 7 July for the weekly Torah portion, "Pinchas" – our Rabbi Bruce puts focus on the zeal of Pinchas directly affirmed by God, Himself; and asks, "How can we each develop healthy zeal for rightful things, causing us to use our time wisely rather than just 'spend' it, getting nothing of genuine value in line with God's will in return?"

This week's parasha shows the Israelites being slandered "because they are mighty." Why do people who are not mighty slander those who are? Messiah Yeshua - as his path was getting harder - taught His disciples how to have "fullness of joy" while facing such upticks in challenge. This excludes slander of those who outshine us, urging us in the Haftarah to walk "in modesty (accuracy and righteous relationship to one's self-image) with your God." It is a worthy lesson.

Criticism is often a placebo for genuine spirituality. The Letter of Ya'akov ("James") almost did not make it into The "New Testament" – because the redactors were concerned it places "too much" emphasis on ACTION rather than "faith & grace" (mere words and ideas). This sermon starts with the premise, "if you see a man drowning, do you CRITICIZE his poor swimming technique, or DO something (entailing EFFORT, or even RISK to yourself) to rescue him?"

Two Torah portions in a row - last week's Shalakh and this week's Korakh - Moses and God kept losing "the best people." Why? How did Moses and the remaining crew keep "enduring to the end, so as to be saved" in a calling repeatedly seeing "the best of the best" turn out to be not only useless - but toxic? From where and what came their "endurance" – and whatever "success" they had?

Numbers 13 holds forth for us how different people can view challenges through entirely different lenses. 10 said "No, we can't." And 2 said, "Yes, we can." Why? How? What can we, as pioneers of Two Testament Judaism, still in 1936 so-to-speak, developmentally, in the era of the "Tower And Wall Kibbutz," learn from it?