Perhaps the most difficult time of day in my house is getting the kids out the door to school in the morning. A parent’s dream is to tell their kids, “Let’s go!” and to have everyone outside within a couple minutes without any major drama. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask, right?
Read MoreExodus is the Torah’s book of worship. It takes Israel from the scene of oppression in Egypt, to Mount Sinai where they become a kingdom of priests, to the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness, where the Lord will meet with his people in the midst of the camp.
Read MoreOur parasha is like so many other times in the story of Israel. While people struggled with their issues of faith, and struggled through the difficulties and torments of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, there was yet something happening behind the scenes.
Read MoreThrough the literary structure, techniques, and conventions in Vayechi, we see how the end of a matter can be better than the beginning. Genesis, however, is not the end of the matter; it is just the beginning.
Read MoreIt has been said that blood is thicker than water. This proverbial wisdom would suggest that family ties, though frequently tried, are stronger than any other relational bonds. After all, no judge would allow the sibling of a defendant to sit on the jury empowered to impartially try him or her.
Read MoreWho can you trust these days? As a rabbi and counselor I talk with people every day who’ve been let down, disappointed, or even betrayed by others. On the public level, trust is rapidly eroding everywhere. Who is credible in our age of distrust?
Read MoreJust as we can look to Joseph’s story and his character for shadows of the Messiah to come, we have Messiah Yeshua to look to when it comes to repairing the impact and the legacy of sin. Ultimately, what lies at the heart of this whole discussion is rescue.
Read MoreFew of us have ever been aware of encountering the malakhim—those divine servants and agents of God who surround his throne and do his bidding. But others, believers like Ya’akov (Jacob), seem to experience them everywhere.
Read MoreWe often speak of Yeshua as the “Perfect Isaac,” the one to whom Isaac and his sacrifice point forward. We also speak of Yeshua as the prophet greater than Moshe, as the Living Torah, and as the Perfect Passover Lamb. But I propose that we can also think of Yeshua as the Perfect Jacob.
Read MoreWe want to be the ones who start something new and fresh or see what was started reach its completion, for we see this as the source of our own significance. But isn’t it completely possible to simply be a vessel to carry someone or something else a step forward?
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