Torah Portion "'וישב/Vayeshev" which means "And he dwelt" delivered on December 12, 2020. This week's portion covers Genesis/Beresheet 37:1-40:23 and begins, “And Ya‛aqoḇ dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Kena‛an." Once again we have a very strong Torah portion. Pastor Richard focuses on Genesis 39:1-10 and shows us how Joseph is a type and shadow of the Messiah Yeshua. He explains why Joseph was removed from his high status in the house of Jacob and placed as a slave in Egypt. He shows that this is how Messiah Yeshua left His heavenly place (high status) to come as the suffering servant to earth.Pastor Richard shows this example through the coat of many colors which Joseph had received from his father and how Joseph was obedient to his father in the same way that Messiah Yeshua was in obedience to His Father, HaShem.So many times people have questioned why Joseph, a righteous son, was the one taken into captivity. Pastor Richard explains this as being a mission provided by HaShem and how this mission could only be accomplished by the removal of Joseph from his high status in Jacob’s house. Joseph had to be tested in Potifer's house in order to overcome the temptations and to remain pure in an Egyptian household. Hebrews 4:15 speaks on this. Joseph and Messiah Yeshua showed they were worthy of HaShem's closeness, they were deemed righteous because they overcome their temptations.Pastor Richard concludes his teaching by giving an understanding of Deuteronomy 4:6-8. This is about the wisdom of keeping the commandments of HaShem, and doing them. Even in the status of slavery, we can show the wisdom of the Torah and bring HaShem's blessing upon the whole house.  The world's wisdom vs. HaShem's wisdom, Genesis 39:9. We have a choice to make when it comes to wisdom. Joseph and Messiah Yeshua went down to Egypt and overcame the temptations because they stayed in the Torah. May this teaching bring you shalom!This week our Haftorah teaching is delivered by Brother Mark from Amos 2:6-3:6, and the New Covenant teaching is delivered by Pastor Richard from Acts 7:9-16. We hope and pray that you find blessing in our teachings. We ask that you please join us each week as we dig deep into scripture to learn more about the God of Israel, and reveal the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Pastor Richard CorteThe Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministrieswww.thefoundationoftheword.org

On December 5, 2020, FOTW was blessed to have Rico Cortes with Wisdom in Torah Ministries return to Show Low, AZ. Rico spoke on Hanukkah, Temple Service, and their connection to prophecy. Rico began by first giving teaching of the significance of HaShem's sacred places. The altar had already been used for holy sacrifices to HaShem so this was a holy and sacred place. Israel had a responsibility to protect this sacred place even at the cost of their own life. When the Maccabees came forward and killed the gentiles offering unclean sacrifices upon HaShem's altar this was giving dishonor to HaShem's sacred place. We as a people "do not represent ourselves," we represent HaShem, our God. So the actions that the Maccabees took was honorable, they were protecting HaShem's sacred place even at the cost of their lives. This is our duty! The Temple is the garden, it's the throne of the King. The walls are a way to protect the sacred place. The altar is the ownership and the authority of HaShem, our God. Someone had to stand up for the honor of HaShem and this sacred place had to be cleansed. The Maccabees defended the honor of HaShem, their King. Hanukkah is not a celebration of having oil for 8 days, it's giving a remembrance of how a remnant of God's people reclaimed His altar and how the altar was sanctified for 8 days. Rico's teaching was very much appreciated. We can remember what a remnant of God's people did then and how we can be that remnant now in order to honor HaShem and keep His sacred places "Holy"! You can learn more from Rico by visiting his website at: http://www.wisdomintorah.com Wisdom in Torah on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJwtL3cb95bZK96oB6eXP2Q Pastor Richard Cortes The Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministries www.thefoundationoftheword.org

Torah Portion "'ויצא/Vayetze" which means "And he went out" delivered on November 28, 2020. This week's portion covers Genesis/Beresheet 28:10-32:2 and begins, “And Ya‛aqoḇ went out from Be’ĕrsheḇa and went toward Ḥaran." This week's Torah portion gives us an understanding of Jacob's ladder and the meaning of ascending and descending and how it relates to us being humble, in order that we lower ourselves so Hashem can elevate us. Pastor Richard shows us how this ladder relates to Messiah and how He descended from heaven, humbling Himself for the sake of mankind. This Torah portion gives insight into how we as a people must usher in the Messiah by exalting His name. As the people of Israel it is our responsibility and our duty to exalt our Messiah and He will return when we are the acceptable bride.This week our Haftorah teaching is delivered by Brother Mark from Hosea 12:12-14:9 and the New Covenant teaching is delivered by Pastor Richard from John 1:43-51.We hope and pray that you find blessing in our teachings. We ask that you please join us each week as we dig deep into scripture to learn more about the God of Israel, and reveal the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Pastor Richard CortesThe Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministrieswww.thefoundationoftheword.org

Torah Portion "'תולדת/Toldot" which means "Generations" delivered on November 21, 2020. This week's portion covers Genesis/Beresheet 25:19-28:9 and begins, “And this is the genealogy of Yitsḥaq, Aḇraham’s son. Aḇraham brought forth Yitsḥaq." The theme of our portion this week is “The War Within the Bride.” Pastor Richard begins with Yitzchaq praying to Hashem for his wife in Genesis 25:21. We see an example of the power of prayer, and it is revealed through the Hebrew text that the prayer was a sweet aroma to Hashem. This is not just because of the heart of Yitzchaq, but also because Rivkah is praying with her husband, fully coming into agreement with the words he is lifting up on her behalf. Their prayer was in full submission to Hashem, meaning that even in her barrenness, her life would be sufficient. Prayer on behalf of others is often greatly rewarded when it comes into the will of God, and in John 17 we see Yeshua himself praying to The Father on behalf of his disciples, asking The Father to care for them and keep them in Him.The Hebrew scripture also reveals that, though Yitzchaq had learned from Abraham all that he knew of the ways of Hashem, Rivkah was still an Aramean to her core. The fact that she was barren was a reflection not of her womb, but of her spiritual life. Once she was open to receiving Torah into her heart, Hashem lifted the stigma of barrenness from her and she became fruitful, doing the deeds of Torah.Pastor Richard concludes this week’s teaching with a discussion of the birth of the twin brothers. We see that Hashem tells Rivkah there are two nations (goyim) and two peoples (l’umim) indicating that there will be two completely governments that come from the sons she will deliver, and all the people of the world will submit to one or the other. As we often see that a full message is lost in translation, so here we see that in English “the older will serve the younger,” but in the Hebrew it is actually the RAV, the stronger/greater [government] will [come to, end up] serve the “Zir,” younger/adolescent [government].There is lots of depth to the few verses covered in the teaching this week, and there is much more presented than we can detail here. We hope you enjoy the teaching, and find blessing in it.Our Haftorah teaching is delivered by Pastor Richard from Malachi 1:1-2:7 and the New Covenant teaching is delivered by Brother Mark from Romans 9:6-16. We hope and pray that you find blessing in our teachings. We ask that you please join us each week as we dig deep into scripture to learn more about the God of Israel, and reveal the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Pastor Richard CortesThe Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministrieswww.thefoundationoftheword.org

Torah Portion "חיי שרה/Chayei Sarah" which means "The Life of Sarah" delivered on November 14, 2020. This week's portion covers Genesis/Beresheet 23:1-25:18 and begins, “And Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years, the years of the life of Sarah." The parasha this week is supposed to be about the life of Sarah, but we quickly find Sarah dying, and little in the story which directly describes her life. The explanation can be found in the main theme of the parasha: the mission to find a wife for Isaac, because Isaac is a foreshadow of Messiah, and because the mission to find the bride of Messiah is one on-going today. Pastor Richard shows us that the sages understood that Abraham's life was also nearing its end, and the thought of Isaac not having a righteous bride was a big concern for Abraham. So he sends his most trusted servant to Abraham's birth land. We see that this servant is more than just a simple man, one of many in Abraham's household, but rather a great servant and leader, the most trusted of all men, one who taught the way's of Hashem to the rest of the household, and he exemplified Abraham's way of life. Pastor Richard digs into the deeper levels of the Hebrew text, showing that Abraham was blessed in such a manner that he had no other concerns in his life besides the lack of a bride for Isaac. We see that one he holds his servant to is not to find a wife from the daughters of the land of Canaan, not because of idolatry but because moral degeneracy among the people, and Abraham knew there was little chance of finding a modest, morally pure woman who would be a pearl within his household.Pastor Richard concludes this portion discussing the promises made to Abraham, the promise to greatly multiply his seed, "not 'seeds,' as to many, but one, who is Messiah." (Galatians 3:16) This week our Haftorah teaching is delivered by Brother Mark from 1 Kings 1:1-31 and the New Covenant teaching is delivered by Pastor Richard from Luke 9:46-48, 57-62. We hope and pray that you find blessing in our teachings. We ask that you please join us each week as we dig deep into scripture to learn more about the God of Israel, and reveal the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Pastor Richard Cortes The Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministries www.thefoundationoftheword.org

Torah Portion "'וירא/Vayera" which means "And I Appeared" delivered on November 7, 2020.This week's portion covers Genesis/Beresheet 18:1-22:24 and begins, “And יהוה appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamrĕ, while he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day."Pastor Richard begins the teaching this week pointing out that there are few commandments (mitzvot) in the book of Genesis, because Hashem in this book is working on the inside of man, matters of the heart, for obedience to commandments comes only with the willingness of the humble heart. Pastor Richard’s focus this week is on 3 verses, Genesis 18:17-19, wherein Hashem asks should He hide from Abraham that He is about to destroy Sedom and Amorah. We see here that Hashem has chosen Abraham, and makes known to Abraham what He is about to do because Abraham has also chosen to follow Hashem, to teach his children and all his household the ways of Hashem. Sedom is representative of the world. It has long forgotten the ways of Hashem, and its sin has reached heaven. In order for the household of Abraham to keep to the ways of Hashem, to fear Hashem, Abraham is permitted to know the destruction of Sedom. Pastor Richard shows us how Hashem chose Abraham, how the Hebrew word for “chose” reflects a deep knowing, the divine providence, as well as humility and submission. Hashem will only choose to reveal His divine providence to us when we submit to Him humbly. Isaiah 54 speaks of the future messiah as One who is “acquainted” with grief, which is the same Hebrew word for “chosen.” Pastor Richard takes us deep into the understanding of the great Jewish sages. Rabbi Hirsch says that the world will not be redeemed through judgment, but through the good deeds of the righteous, known in Judaism as “tzedaka.” Hirsch says that Abraham’s descendants are destined to bring the message of tzedaka to the world and to teach it to all people. The righteous one must walk with his whole being before Hashem, his whole life devoted to duty and commandments of Hashem, and then even his relationships with people will fulfill the dictates of his duty in service to the Kingdom.Pastor Richard concludes the day’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 13:2-7 discussing the importance of love; love of Hashem first and foremost, but also love of our neighbors in the faith.This week our Haftorah teaching is delivered by Pastor Richard from 2 Kings 4:1-37 and the New Covenant teaching is delivered by Brother Mark from James 2:14-24.We hope and pray that you find blessing in our teachings. We ask that you please join us each week as we dig deep into scripture to learn more about the God of Israel, and reveal the Messiah throughout the Old Testament.Pastor Richard CortesThe Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministrieswww.thefoundationoftheword.org

Torah Portion "לך־לך/Lech Lecha" which means "Go For Yourself" delivered on October 31, 2020. This week's portion covers Genesis/Beresheet 12:1-17:27 and begins, “And יהוה said to Abram, Go yourself out of your land, from your relative and from your father's house, to a land which I show you.." Our parasha this week covers 6 full chapters from the book of Genesis. We find Abraham being called out of his country to a land that Hashem promises to show him, and to give him as well. Pastor Richard focuses his teaching on Gen 17:6-10, opening with the question, “Why was Abraham chosen” by Hashem? The answer is found in last week’s portion (and teaching), and we see that Yeshua gives his disciples the same direction that had been given to those of Abraham’s generation, a direction that Abraham was fulfilling. Our parasha opens with Hashem declaring, and promising, that Abraham will be “exceedingly fruitful and will make nations of you.” Pastor Richard reveals that the Hebrew of the text goes further to indicate a “giving” of gentiles to Abraham, and he points out that gentiles play a vital role in the promise of Abraham being fruitful. Remember, Abraham, the father of the Jewish faith, was a gentile convert!In conclusion of the days’ teaching, Pastor Richard discusses the covenant of circumcision, and how circumcision of the flesh is just a sign of the covenant showing a change in the individual’s heart to follow the commandments and ways of Hashem. Pastor Richard points out that the outward sign of circumcision is an act that can be done without the inward change of the heart, but then the individual is just following legalistic works, thinking to fool others around him but unable to fool the God of Creation who knows the heart of every individual. If your heart isn’t in it, you will never show fully the fruit of the spirit, but rather you will show your impatience, anger, slander, strife, gossip and arrogance.This week our Haftorah teaching is delivered by Brother Mark from Isaiah 40:27-41:16 and the New Covenant teaching is delivered by Pastor Richard from Romans 3:19-5:6. We hope and pray that you find blessing in our teachings. We ask that you please join us each week as we dig deep into scripture to learn more about the God of Israel, and reveal the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Pastor Richard Cortes The Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministries www.thefoundationoftheword.org

Torah Portion "'נח/Noach" which is "Noah" in English and means "rest/comforter" delivered on October 24, 2020. This week's portion covers Genesis/Beresheet 6:9-11:32 and begins, “This is the genealogy of Noaḥ. Noaḥ was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. Noaḥ walked with Elohim." The days of Noah are a point of reference for the end days. In the reading of our scripture, we see that the sin of the world had finally reached to Heaven and Hashem decided to wipe out all creation, save eight. But unrighteousness still existed, then just as it does now.Pastor Richard focuses this week’s teaching on the first four verses of Genesis 11. We see here that a period of time had passed since the flood, and men had begun again to populate the earth. We see that they had one language, but also one counsel, for they had been restored to full physical and spiritual health by Hashem. Pastor Richard explains how they were going up from the east, from that which was ancient and good, but came to a cross-roads, as it were, and instead of holding fast to their ways, they cleaved to the new, thereby “moving ancient boundaries” set by their forefathers. Pastor Richard shows that Josephus wrote discussing the new land they had come to, Shinar. In disobedience, they dwelt here instead of continuing to bring Torah to the four corners of the earth, and Pastor Richard show us this was when Nimrod rose up and convinced the people that he, as their leader, is the source of all their goodness and blessing, gradually changing the government into one of tyranny. We see how the sin of pride and arrogance brought them far away from Hashem, and even allowed them to think they could over-power and unthrone the God of the universe. They were taking a lesson from Hasatan, cursed be his name.This week our Haftorah teaching is delivered by Pastor Richard from Isaiah 54:1-55:5 and the New Covenant teaching is delivered by Brother Mark from Matthew 24:36-44. We hope and pray that you find blessing in our teachings. We ask that you please join us each week as we dig deep into scripture to learn more about the God of Israel, and reveal the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Pastor Richard CortesThe Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministrieswww.thefoundationoftheword.org

Torah Portion "'בראשית/Beresheet" which means "In The Beginning" delivered on October 17, 2020. This week's portion covers Genesis/Beresheet 1:1-6:8 and begins, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Pastor Richard opens the teaching this week with a statement: We must know our origin in order to know our destination. We see in Revelation that Yeshua says, “I am the Alpha (Aleph) and the Omega (Tav), the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” This shows us He was there at the beginning, and He will be there at the end. Pastor Richard also points out that the first blessing by Hashem is the one given to the Sabbath Day. He also points out that the first sin, the one in which sin entered humanity, was one of disobedience with food…so if you think what we eat isn’t important to Hashem, you need to consider this part very carefully. Hashem is Holy, and holiness does not bend or change.Next, Pastor Richard discusses the name of the portion. He goes deeper, with a remez teaching on the gematria of the name, as well as breaking the word down into its parts and root, showing how Hashem has told the end from the beginning. Pastor Richard also shows how the sages see the beginning as the first command of Hashem, and how it is the gate to the Kingdom, which Yeshua has also said Himself to be. The sages say you cannot believe in the gate without believing in Torah, and vice versa. Which brings us to a statement made by Yeshua in John 5:46-47, (paraphrased) “If you do not believe in the words of Moses, how will you believe My words?”Pastor Richard also discusses the light that was brought forth in the beginning, the command being (in Hebrew) “Yehi Ohr,” the gematria of which will absolutely stun you! Pastor Richard also discusses the tense of the second part of the verse, the phrase “vayahi orh,” that it should have been written “vehaya ohr,” and how the sages explain this.Lastly, to conclude the portion’s teaching, Pastor Richard discusses verse 4 of Genesis 1, the goodness of the light, connecting it to Yeshua who was the light of the world, referring to Himself as such several times in scripture. Rav Shaul (Apostle Paul) writes to the Corinthians in his second epistle “do not be bound to unbelievers…what fellowship does light have with darkness” (2Cor6:14) because he understood the light from the beginning was the Spirit of Messiah. Pastor Richard breaks down who is Belial that Rav Shaul refers to, and shows even in the New Internation Dictionary of the New Testament that the reference points to haSatan (cursed be his name.)This week our Haftorah teaching is delivered by Brother Mark from Isaiah 42:5-43:10, and the New Covenant teaching is delivered by Brother Ted from John 1:1-18. We hope and pray that you find blessing in our teachings. We ask that you please join us each week as we dig deep into scripture to learn more about the God of Israel, and reveal the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Pastor Richard Cortes The Foundation of The Word Outreach Ministries www.thefoundationoftheword.org