Weekly Torah Commentaries

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

Weekly Torah Commentaries episodes

September 10, 2020 Walking Life's Narrow Bridge
The great Rabbi Nachman of Breslov put it this way: “The world is a narrow
bridge and the important thing is to not be afraid.” Afraid of what? Afraid
of falling off onto one side, or one extreme, or the other.
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September 01, 2020 How Can I Be Sure?
In August of 1967, The Young Rascals recorded their fourth Top Ten hit,
How Can I Be Sure? The chorus echoes in our thoughts as we traverse the
month of Elul in preparation for the Days of Awe. “How can I be sure, in a
world that’s constantly changing? / How can I be sure, where I stand with
you?”
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August 26, 2020 Compassion in an Unjust World
This week’s parasha, Ki Tetse, begins, “When you go to war against your
enemies.” The realities and assumptions of the ancient world are expressed
in this statement from God by the mouth of Moses. Notice it says “when” and
not “if.”
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August 18, 2020 Are You a Perfectionist?
The Bible calls us to be perfectionists. Its understanding of
perfectionism, however, is quite different from that of the world in which
we live. In the Bible, a perfectionist is one who walks blamelessly or
wholeheartedly before Hashem.
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August 06, 2020 Our Heels or Our Hearts?
There is an interesting connection of our parasha with Jacob. Ekev
(ayin-qof-vav) is also part of Jacob’s name. His name more accurately means
“May he (God) be at your heels,” as in your “defending rear guard.”
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July 23, 2020 Repeat That
Many of us who are parents know that we have to repeat things a lot. This
is summed up in the all-too-familiar question, “How many times have I told
you that?!” It can become frustrating and make you feel like your children
aren’t listening. Then there’s the follow up question, “How many times do I
have to say this until you get it?!”
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July 15, 2020 A Perfect Itinerary
Life is a journey! Much like a train ride, life’s journey has stops along
the way, but when the whistle blows, we move forward toward our
destination. The Tanakh records many journeys. For example, Abraham
journeyed to a land Adonai showed him, and B’nei Israel, the children of
Israel, journeyed from Egypt to the land of promise.
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July 07, 2020 The times they are a changin’
When I volunteered to prepare a study on this week’s Torah portion, I was
thinking about Pinchas’ zeal for the honor and holiness of Hashem, or maybe
about the covenant of shalom that Hashem would establish with Pinchas and
his descendants forever. As I sat down to begin writing, however, the Ruach
took me in an entirely different direction.
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July 02, 2020 Donkey Wisdom
In this week’s parasha we meet the pagan prophet Bil’am, hired by Balak,
king of Moab, to come and curse Israel. But Bil’am warns Balak’s messengers
who come to hire him that no matter how much they pay him, he can only say
what Adonai puts in his mouth.
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June 24, 2020 Holiness and Difference
Korach and his allies can be cast as bad dudes who cause trouble—for
whatever reason—and are dealt with. A careful reading of the story,
however, leaves questions. And our tradition is all about careful
readings—and questions!
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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…