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Noach: The Sign of the Covenant

This week, we continue our study from the first book of Moses with the Biblical character of Noah—the only righteous man of his generation. The Hebrew Scriptures describe Noah as tzadik (צַדִּיק righteous) and tamim (תָּמִים pure, innocent, complete and faultless). Noah stands in contrast to the time in which he lived. Only six chapters into the Bible, the world is already described as being filled with violence and corruption to the point that God regretted ever creating mankind.

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Parasha Ha’azinu (Listen): Finding Victory in the Song of Moses

A Jewish man wearing tefillin (phylacteries) recites selichot (prayer for forgiveness and mercy) at the Western (Wailing) Wall during the Days of Awe.

Parasha Ha’azinu is read on the Shabbat during the ten-day period of repentance (teshuvah) between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Because the Hebrew word "shuva," which means "return!" is the first word of Hosea 14:2-10, this week's Haftarah (prophetic portion), this Shabbat is commonly known as Shabbat Shuvah (Sabbath of Turning). Ha’azinu, which may be translated as give ear, meaning listen attentively, consists primarily of the 70-line long Song of Moses, which is both a love song to God and a chastisement of the people. In this song filled with poetry, prose and metaphor, Moses recounts the blessings that God has bestowed upon the people and the wicked deeds they have committed, as well as God’s just response to those deeds.

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Parasha Nitzavim-Vayelech (You are Standing-And He Went): New Beginnings and the Covenant

Yeshua Unrolls the Scroll in the Synagogue, by James Tissot

Israel stands as a sign and beacon to all peoples everywhere of the wonderful grace and mercy of God. Its glorious restoration reveals that He can replant, rebuild, re-establish His people from the worst destruction in each one of our lives. If we will give Him our ashes and mourning, He will give us beauty and oil of joy. “The Lord has anointed Me to ... provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:1, 3)

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Parasha Ki Tavo (When you Enter): Entering the Promise

An observant Jewish family (Photo: Go Israel / Noam Chen)

It must have been a relief for the children of Israel to hear that their prolonged, 40 year journey through the terrible wilderness would finally be coming to an end. They were about to cross over into the Promised Land. In fact, the word in Hebrew for a Hebrew, Ivri, comes from the root I-V-R, which means to cross over. In a spiritual sense, anyone who has crossed over into the Kingdom of God is an Ivri. For that reason, perhaps, Paul said that being a Jew is a matter of having a circumcised heart more than circumcised flesh. He wasn’t negating circumcision, of course; he was emphasizing that to cross over into the Kingdom of God, there must be an inward change. Those who worship God, worship Him in spirit and in truth.

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Parasha Ki Tetze (When You Go Out): Entering the Promised Land as a Godly Community

Jerusalem ramparts tourists walls

In this Parasha, God gives the Israelites a series of laws which mostly govern civil and domestic life. This group of laws is intended to build a just community of people who are not only concerned with their own well-being, but also with the well-being of others. God wants His people to demonstrate mercy and kindness to everyone, especially those who are powerless, helpless or oppressed.

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Parasha Shoftim (Judges): Exercising Judgment and the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Scales of justice gavel Israel flag

This week’s Torah reading, called Judges (Shoftim in Hebrew), discusses the issue of justice according to a Biblical perspective. God commanded Moses to instruct the people of Israel to appoint shoftim (judges), a word derived from the word shafat, meaning to judge or to govern, and shotrim (officials or official books, and in modern Hebrew, police officers) to rule at the gates of the cities so that justice would prevail. These appointed leaders were expected to judge the people with fairness, equality and wisdom. They were forbidden from perverting justice in any way, such as showing favoritism or taking bribes.

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Parasha Reeh (See): The Mountain of Blessing

Samaritans lift the Torah on Mount Gerizim during Shavuot, otherwise called Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks.

In this week’s Torah portion, God sets before the people of Israel a clear choice: they could either obey God’s commandments (mitzvot) and enjoy a life of blessing (brachah), or disobey and suffer the resulting curse (klalah). The blessings are to be proclaimed on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal when the people cross over the Jordan into the Holy Land. “When Adonai your God brings you into the land you are entering in order to take possession of it, you are to put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.” (Deuteronomy 11:29)

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Parasha Eikev (Because): The Heel of the Messiah

"Follow in His steps." (1 Peter 2:21)

The title of this week’s Parasha, Eikev, means because. It is used in this Parasha as a conjunction to create a relationship between experiencing God’s blessings and obedience to His Torah. Another meaning of the Hebrew word ekev is heel (as in the heel of a foot). Ancient Jewish sages interpreted this dual meaning of the word “ekev” to refer to the generation of the “heels of Mashiach (Messiah).” The last generation of the Exile is called ikvata d’meshichah or the heels of Messiah, since that generation was expected to hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

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