Sometimes listening is preferable to reading. Listen to select teachings in audio, or explore an ever-growing list of short, inspirational messages from the Torah and the Prophets.
In the chapters we read this week, the prophet Jeremiah foretells disaster, a time of judgment upon Israel. We intentionally read this passage whenever we recall the destruction of Jerusalem and reflect on this hour of judgment. Yet even in
In our reading from Isaiah today, we encounter God’s message to a childless woman who symbolizes Israel. Israel lost much to war and exile. But now, she is promised to be blessed with many children, so she is told
In Chapter 6, Prophet Micah asks a question… How should one come before Hashem? Should one come with an olah, a burnt offering, yearling calves? Does God really want thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oil? Do I
In Joshua, we learn why a Canaanite prostitute saved the lives of Israelite spies. She saw something many Israelites did not see about themselves. In Joshua 2:9, she said, Ki natan ADONAI lekhem et ha-arretz “Hashem gave you
I want to share my recent musical reworking of Psalm 95. It's meant to be a meditative call to worship that is built solidly on the message of this ancient psalm that moves from Hebrew to English and
What do Synagogues have to do with the spread of Christian beliefs? If you are asking yourself this question, then you probably need to reread the Book of Acts. Early believers in Jesus were all members of synagogues, and wherever
The Book of Ovadyah, or Obadiah, is very short. Only one chapter. The prophet's entire message is about Esau, or Edom, as he is also known. And since the Torah reading with which it corresponds is all about
A while back, I had an opportunity to develop a course for the institution where I teach, entitled "The Stories of the Jewish Church." The title was intended to be somewhat provocative, designed to emphasize that the early
Have you ever assembled one of those pieces of furniture that comes in a flat box? I have. You open a box and pull out a hundred tiny components. They come with many screws, bolts, and pegs of various sizes.
In our reading from the prophets, Isaiah speaks to Jerusalem, which typically represents all of God’s people. They have just experienced a hard time, tasted his anger, but these are words of comfort, so the message is positive. In
If you read the words of Moses' Prayer (which was probably also a song), you will see how the lyrics are thoroughly inspired by his poetic verses. God's unique name Adonai Maon is somewhat mysterious, but to
Light can be very powerful. We are surrounded by it, so we don’t give it much thought because we are so used to it. But we also think of physical light in very scientific terms. In Isaiah 60, Hashem
