Weekly Torah Commentaries

By UMJC - Union Of Messianic Jewish CongregationsReligion & Spirituality Christianity Judaism

Weekly Torah Commentaries episodes

August 31, 2022 Creating a Favoritism-Free Zone
I long for the day when “Messianic Jewish” is not a religious brand, but a
description of the values of our community, values that reflect the
presence of Messiah among us. This week’s parasha opens with a foundational
text for creating this sort of community.
9 min
August 25, 2022 Two Ways Lie Before Us
In our parasha this week, Re’eh, we are faced with a shot over the bow.
While life and death will be set before Israel at length at the end of
Deuteronomy, here the choice is presented earlier, and more succinctly.
8 min
August 18, 2022 The Circumcised Heart in Action
A circumcised heart enables us to follow God in ways we might have
previously not thought possible. Through it we can love God and love
others, even the outsider, with everything we have.
10 min
August 11, 2022 A Measure of Comfort
This week, as I looked back to the opening words of the haftarah portion,
did I truly understand what it means to find comfort in the presence of
God? How does that prophetic word penetrate our world, fractured,
conflicted, and now in constant turmoil?
9 min
August 02, 2022 A Covenant of Gratitude
The Exodus was historical and the Seder forces it to be experiential.
Yeshua’s life was historical. Yet, when we follow him, it becomes
experiential and transformational. Each generation is called to be the
Joshua generation that enters the promises of God and showcases gratitude
for God’s salvation by living out a life that reveals his character.
10 min
July 26, 2022 The Broken-Cistern Syndrome
We live in a culture of addiction. Alcohol and drug addiction rates,
already elevated before the COVID pandemic, continue to rise steeply. And
if you include what we call “process addictions”—like gambling or
compulsive shopping, screen time, or pornography use—nearly everyone is
touched by addiction in one way or another.
10 min
July 22, 2022 Vast. Obscure. Unfinished.
“Human life is but a series of footnotes to a vast obscure unfinished
masterpiece.” The quote is haunting, the implications are troubling, but
the meaning speaks to a sense of anxiety to which I think everyone can
relate.
9 min
July 13, 2022 Ironic Blessings for Tumultuous Times
Our current world situation prompts us to cry, “how long, O Lord, how
long?” The promised star out of Jacob has come, yet we still live with war,
famine, pestilence, and death. As we walk through these tumultuous times,
remember three points drawn from Balaam’s oracles.
10 min
July 05, 2022 Does the Torah Teach about an Afterlife?
“Christians worry about eternal judgment and whether they’ll go to heaven
or hell when they leave this world. Jews are concerned about life in this
world, and how to make it a better place while they’re here.”
11 min
June 29, 2022 I've Met Korah
Leadership can be brutal. Many may be initially intoxicated with the idea
of leading others, but give it a few weeks, months, or years, and one will
encounter challenges. One of the most difficult aspects of leadership is
when a friend, partner, or associate comes against you, and you experience
betrayal.
11 min

About Weekly Torah Commentaries

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Reflections on the weekly Torah portions from a diverse group of Messianic Jewish rabbis, scholars, and lay people. Our contributors bring fresh insights to familiar texts, drawing connections to…