For the week of October 3, 2026 / 22 Tishri 5787

Click image to view video version

Shemini Atzeret
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 14:22 – 16:17; B’midbar/Numbers 29:35 – 30:1
Haftarah: 1 Melachim/1 Kings 8:54-66

Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. (1 Melachim/1 Kings 8:59–60)

This coming Shabbat coincides with Shemini Atzeret, the conclusion of the fall holy day season. This week’s special Haftarah is Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the temple offered during this time. It was on this holy day, three years ago, October 7, 2023—coinciding with Shabbat as it does again this year—that Hamas-led terrorists unleashed their murderous attack on Israel, the worst day in Jewish history since the Holocaust.

The increase in antisemitic, anti-Israel rhetoric since then is partly, or perhaps largely, due to a major shift in Israeli military strategy, or so it seems. For decades, Israel has had the defensive upper hand in relation to its neighbors. In fact, if it so chose, it could wipe them out. But instead, Israel has allowed itself to be harassed time and time again. When that harassment has been deemed to have gone too far, Israel has strongly pushed back to restore what it has come to accept as reasonable calm, knowing that it was always a matter of time before the threat of annihilation would rise again. This would leave its citizenry always on edge, constantly vigilant as they waited for the next terrorist attack to occur. October 7th changed that.

For the first time in its history, the Israeli leadership was determined to end this threat once and for all. That might be overstating it, since their neighbors act as proxies for greater, more powerful enemies farther away. Still, it was time to show a level of strength and determination to send a clear message to the world that Israel would no longer take such existential threats lightly.

From a defensive perspective, Israel’s determination is reasonable. No country should sit back while its people live in fear of ongoing, existential attack. And yet, whenever Israel asserts itself, much of the world goes berserk. But why—especially among nations that have hitherto been supportive or at least neutral?

This is a complex question that deserves a complex answer, but I want to offer one key factor that isn’t given enough attention. This is the first time in Israeli history it isn’t doing as it’s told. Previously, when Israel pushed back, world powers, most often led by the US, have put heavy pressure on Israel to stop. To appease Israel’s allies, it has always pulled back from continuing effective defensive measures, resulting in allowing its enemies the opportunity to regroup and rearm in preparation for the next time. This time, however, Israel determined there would be no next time. It’s as if Israel’s supposed friends will only let them “play” if they behave themselves, with “behave” being defined solely by these so-called friends. Israel is by far the strongman in the schoolyard. Yet, it has allowed itself to be bullied, being forbidden to use its strength to put an end to harassment. But now, having had enough, its place in the schoolyard of nations is under threat.

Of course, Israel hasn’t always been the strongman in the schoolyard. Far from it! From the 2^nd century until 1948, with the establishment of the modern State of Israel, the Jewish people have not only been stateless, but completely disenfranchised, having to cope with ongoing regulatory and physical persecution. In fact, apart from a brief period in the 2^nd century BCE in the time of the Maccabees, the Jewish people haven’t had any semblance of independent statehood since the 6^th century BCE. Then, when modern Israel was established in 1948, it was regarded as the underdog, the scrawny kid in the schoolyard who somehow, against all odds, survived annihilation, time and time again. That all changed in 1967 during the miraculous Six-Day War. This particular multi-nation attempt to push the Jewish nation into the sea resulted in not only victory, but the reclamation of the biblical heartland and more. But instead of earning multinational respect, the now-perceived schoolyard strongman was resented more than ever.

World powers cannot tolerate those who refuse to bow to their dictates, no matter how righteous their cause. Certainly there are real troublemakers in the world that must be confronted. But, tragically, when it comes to Israel, much of the world has trouble accepting who the actual troublemakers are, as the nations place their own self-interests ahead of what is truly good and just. Whether Israel is the disenfranchised scrawny kid or the strongman, the world will continue to have disdain for the unique role God has given the Jewish people in the world. Whether individual Jews understand this unique calling or not, we cannot escape it. Most of us don’t realize we are ground zero for God’s plans and purposes. Whether we are aware of it or not, his mighty name has been imparted to us through his enduring promises. God has our backs. As he said to Abraham:

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (B’reshit/Genesis 12:3).

As we approach the third anniversary of October 7^th, whether we are Jewish or not, this is the divine lens through which to understand what’s happening in our world today.

For the week of September 26, 2026 / 15 Tishri 5787

Click image to view video version

Sukkot
Torah: Vayikra/Leviticus 22:26 – 23:24; B’midbar/Numbers 29:12-16
Haftarah: Zechariah 14:1-21
Originally posted the week of October 3, 2020 / 15 Tishri 5781 (updated)

Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. (Zechariah 14:16-17)

One of the most difficult issues faced by Yeshua-followers—and not just Yeshua-followers, but the entire world—is the tension between unity and diversity. From the beginning, the human family has been fractured, starting with God’s cursing of Adam and Eve, which created tension between males and females (see Bereshit/Genesis 3:16b), and was quickly followed by the murder of their son Abel by his jealous brother, their firstborn, Cain (see Bereshit/Genesis 4:1-16). This explodes when, as a consequence of the misguided Babel-building project, the world divided into people groups due to the confusion of languages (see Bereshit/Genesis 11:1-9).

Since then, most attempts to unify human beings have been by brutal tyrannies, which at best have been partial, fragile, destructive, and, obviously, temporary. Temporary, that is, until the proclamation of the Kingdom of God through the Good News of the Messiah Yeshua. God’s plan was always to rectify the disunity resulting from Babel and rooted in sin. God’s desire to unite the human family lies at the very core of biblical faith. It is not only core to a genuine relationship with God in Yeshua, but God’s Spirit, poured out upon those who truly trust in the Messiah, is also the only power that can mend the systemic brokenness that continues to plague our planet.

Tragically, however, the unity God is seeking to restore has been grossly misunderstood as uniformity. While I assume no one even slightly aware of the biblical teaching on this subject believes we are all to be identical to each other, when it comes down to it, there tends to be an underlying discomfort with diversity, especially regarding national or ethnic expression.

Certainly, this is a much larger subject than can be adequately covered in a short message like this. But let me share something from this week’s readings that should powerfully inform our thinking. These readings are special for the first day of Sukkot (English: Booths or Tabernacles), the people of Israel’s week-long harvest thanksgiving festival, which also commemorates God’s provision and care for the people during the wilderness wanderings following the Exodus from Egypt. As usual, whenever a major festival falls on Shabbat, the regular readings are replaced by special ones relevant to the occasion.

The Haftarah (reading from the Prophets) for the first day of Sukkot is from Zechariah. At the end of his book, the prophet provides details about what the Bible understands as the olam ha-ba (English: world or age to come). That was Israel’s great expectation: God’s restoration of the creation when he would establish his rule on Earth forever. One aspect of this, according to Zechariah, is that in that time the nations would come to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot.

I know that this idea evokes all sorts of questions—not to mention controversies—but I want to point out one thing: the nations come to Jerusalem. That means that at the restoration of all things, the nations as defined and distinct entities will still exist. Some think this is reserved for a limited golden age between now and the final restoration. The problem with this is that the Bible doesn’t see it that way. For example, the book of Revelation echoes Zechariah. At the end of Revelation, we have a description of the new heavens and new earth, an aspect of which is the coming down of the new Jerusalem from heaven to earth (see Revelation 21:1–2). This is clearly the age to come, the time when God makes everything right. We read:

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations (Revelation 21:22-26).

Just as Zechariah predicted, the nations will still exist. Moreover, they will have an essential relationship to future Jerusalem. The unity of all peoples in no way blends everyone into one singular nation. Unity in the Messiah connects us with God’s purposes and plans in and through Israel without nullifying our unique distinctions.

Reckoning with our destiny as God’s family in a way that retains national distinctives is a first step toward the unity in diversity God calls us to today.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of September 19, 2026 / 8 Tishri 5787

Click image to view video version

Ha’azinu (Shabbat Shuva)
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 32:1-52
Haftarah: Hosea 14:2-10 (English: 14:1-9); Micah 7:18-20; Joel 2:15-17
Originally posted the week of October 1, 2022 / 6 Tishri 5783 (updated)

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18–19; ESV)

We are currently in the High Holy Day season, particularly “the Ten Days of Awe,” the time between Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, the biblical Feast of the Blowing of the Shofar) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). This week’s Haftarah readings are excerpts from three Hebrew prophets and fit the season’s themes.

I find the concept of God’s forgiveness so striking. Whether or not I have done anything seriously wrong, I can easily be burdened by wondering whether what I said or did was the right thing or not. I struggle with perfectionist tendencies and an inordinate desire for other people’s approval. Some of you can relate, I am sure. “Should I have said that? What are they thinking? I am sure it was the right thing to do, but I probably could have done better. Perhaps if I had said it differently. But am I responsible for how other people react or perceive me?” It’s exhausting!

Then the thought comes to me: I am forgiven; God forgives me. I am not saying I shouldn’t take responsibility if I’ve done something truly wrong. Believe me, I am not saying that! It’s that I am impressed by how, objectively speaking, my life rests upon a foundation of forgiveness. Because of what God has done for me through the sacrifice of the Messiah, I am right with God. You may think that someone as biblically and theologically savvy as I am should have this down pat. But for me, like many of you, that’s easier said than done. The fact is, whenever it hits me that I am actually and truly forgiven, it’s as if I am experiencing it for the very first time.

As I have thought about this, I realized that since I have been made right with God, I am also right with the universe. Sorry if that sounds too mystical, but stay with me for a second. The term “sin,” is a biblical concept to describe the way human beings fail to meet God’s standards. It’s something we do (or don’t do) that is rooted in that part of our nature that’s been inherited from the beginning when our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God. The result of sin is God’s cursing of the human family and the entire creation in which we live. It’s as if everything is tainted or broken as a result of human rebellion against God.

When Messiah came and presented himself as a perfect offering, he repaired the brokenness affected by the curse. Since then, history has been in a process of renewal that will culminate upon his return, when he will judge all who have ever lived and will fully establish God’s reign forever. Trusting in the Messiah reconciles us with God and connects us to God’s restorative power now. While we continue to interact with the world’s current broken state, it’s as if we do so within the context of the final restoration.

Forgiveness releases the believer from the control and effects of sin. Sin no longer defines who we are or determines our destiny. The barriers between God and us have been removed. As a result, the resources of heaven, God’s goodness and power, are at our disposal. Our restored relationship with God changes our relationship to the entire creation. The broken creation will continue to trouble us, however. Yet, because of God’s forgiveness, it needn’t have the upper hand in my life. God isn’t holding my sin against me any longer. Instead, his love and presence are guaranteed.

The prophet Micah foretold that God would “cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). This is where the custom of “tashlikh” comes from. Usually performed on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, people go to a flowing body of water and take food, usually bread, and cast it from their pockets into the water to symbolize God’s casting our sins into the sea. Because God has cast away our sins, we needn’t be burdened by them anymore.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of September 12, 2026 / 1 Tishri 5787

Click image to view video version

Rosh Hashanah
Torah: Bereshit/Genesis 21:1-34; B’midbar/Numbers 29:1-6
Haftarah: 1 Shmuel/1 Samuel 1:1–2:10
Originally posted the week of September 19, 2009 / 1 Tishri 5770 (updated)

There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. (1 Shmuel/1 Samuel 2:2)

God gets a lot of attention. We hear about him all the time from the mouths of believers and non-believers alike. He is adored, he is scorned, he is exalted, he is mocked. Though many try, he cannot be ignored. I don’t think there is a being or concept in all of human experience upon which so much effort has been spent trying to disprove. As for those who choose not to ignore him, how to relate to him has been far from straightforward. Millions of people claim some sort of belief in God, but the differences among the various versions of him are so great that they turn off many curious seekers, who think it impossible to come to any definite understanding. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.

To some, the Bible is just a book of superstitions and myths—one of a multitude of human attempts to define supposed spiritual reality. That it claims to reveal the one true God is taken to be no different from all the other so-called sacred texts in existence. Yet, there is something about how God is presented in the Bible that sets it apart from everything else. The Bible doesn’t try to convince us to accept a God who is distant and unknowable. On the contrary, it invites us to know God intimately and to encounter his reality for ourselves.

This week’s Haftarah is special for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah (this year, starting Friday evening, September 11). It was likely chosen to parallel the special holiday Torah reading that speaks of the miraculous birth of Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac. The Haftarah speaks of another special birth, that of the prophet to be, Shmuel/Samuel. In both cases, the mothers-to-be were unable to conceive. Channah/Hannah, Shmuel’s mother, was desperate for a child—a desperation she took to God. We might miss how profound her request was. She performed no complex ritual nor pronounced some elaborate incantation. Rather, from an honest but hurting heart, she cried out to the invisible creator God, who, since he had made the universe and had given her ancestor Sarah a child in her old age, could certainly give her, another barren woman, a child. And he did.

When Channah fulfilled her promise to God by dedicating Shmuel to his service, she broke out in an exuberant song, proclaiming her understanding of God. What makes her song special is that it emerged from a reality that, until that moment, had been hypothetical. It’s not that she didn’t know God before. Obviously she did, or else she would not have prayed as she did. But God’s provision of a son confirmed what she already believed, thus allowing her to walk in God’s reality at a much deeper level.

God doesn’t expect us to only know him theoretically. That which we know about him in theory is meant to be responded to. His reality is meant to be proven through lives willing to take him at his word. We may not be as desperate as Channah was, but as we earnestly pursue him, we will find him. Channah is but one example of people just like us, whom God is inviting to experience his reality as she did.

At this, the beginning of another year, we have an opportunity to see whether our understanding of God is merely theoretical or a proven reality. The Bible claims that God wants to be real in our lives. We are not expected to pretend, get hyped up, or be content in our confusion and emptiness. On the contrary, there is a reality beyond our wildest dreams waiting for us to take hold of, if we are willing to let it take hold of us.

All scriptures, English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible

For the week of September 5, 2026 / 23 Elul 5786

Click to view video

Nitzavim & Vayeilech
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 29:9 – 31:30 (English: 29:10 – 31:30)
Haftarah: Isaiah 61:10 – 63:9
Originally posted the week of September 4, 2021 / 27 Elul 5781 (revised)

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (D’varim/Deuteronomy 29:29)

Back in the 1970s, I played drums in my high school jazz band in Montreal. One of my favorite pieces was the “Pink Panther Theme” by Henry Mancini. As you may know, many pieces of music begin with an instruction in Italian to denote the tempo and feel of the piece. The Pink Panther uses the unique instruction “groovy misterioso” to denote a mysterious yet jazzy, cool feeling.

When something is mysterious, it is in the realm of the unknown. Mystery stories and movies are driven by key components hidden from the reader or viewer. Someone dies, for example, and we are led to suspect foul play. The story then anticipates the revealing of what’s hidden. If the mystery remains unsolved by the end, most people wouldn’t find the story satisfying.

Yet many readers of the Bible seem fairly content with unsolved mysteries. It is common for a teacher to assert a difficult-to-understand concept and say, “Ah, that’s a mystery,” expecting their students to respond with awe and wonder. God himself is often described as a mystery. The problem with this is that the Bible doesn’t describe him that way. Instead, he is accessible, knowable, and personable.

The Bible, the New Covenant Writings in particular, does use the word mystery, however. It’s the Greek word (no surprise!) “mystērion,” which appears twenty-seven times, mainly in Paul’s writings; once each in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all in the context of Yeshua’s teachings on parables; and four times in the Book of Revelation. But it isn’t used to describe that which is unknown or too difficult for us to understand. Rather, it is used to describe truths that were previously unknown which have now been made known. One example is found in Ephesians, chapter three, where Paul explains that God’s intentions to include people of the nations in his messianic plan had been unknown until the good news of Yeshua was proclaimed by his followers.

This kind of mystery is very different from common mystery stories, where we are aware that something is going on but don’t know what it is, leaving us with a puzzle to solve. Bible mysteries are not puzzles, however. Yet that doesn’t stop some people from assuming that there are codes to crack and hidden messages to decipher. Biblical mysteries are also not unknowable knowables – the stuff of “you just need to accept what I am telling you even though you will never be able to understand it, because it’s a mystery!”

That doesn’t mean that everything about God and life, be it in the Bible or elsewhere, is knowable. Far from it! There is information that is not accessible to human beings. There are things that we simply can’t understand. That’s what Moses says in this week’s parsha (weekly Torah reading portion): “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (the English word, ‘law’ is torah in Hebrew)” (D’varim/Deuteronomy 29:29). This tells us that there exist knowable and unknowable things. God has deemed some matters to be secret, known only to him. They are not mysteries to solve. Instead, they are none of our business. Then there are the revealed things. These are our business. We are to learn them, do them, and pass them on to our children.

This is not to say that there aren’t knowable, but hard-to-understand, things as well. But they are not hidden. They are not mysteries. Sometimes we have to put in considerable effort through prayer and study to discover truth and how best to live accordingly.

The Torah tells us that God has graciously revealed in his Word all we need to know in order to live effective, godly lives. And that’s groovy!

To watch the Pink Panther Theme with Mancini himself on piano, click here.

All scriptures, English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible

For the week of August 1, 2026 / 18 Av 5786

Click image to view video version

Ekev
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25
Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14 – 51:3
Originally posted the week of August 8, 2009 / 18 Av 5769 (updated)

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (D’varim/Deuteronomy 8:3)

As Moses recaps the forty-year journey of the people of Israel through the wilderness, he explains the purpose of the provision of manna. Manna was the food that miraculously appeared on the ground each day, except on Shabbat. Through this, God was teaching the people to rely upon him alone. The statement “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” is often understood to mean that our lives depend not only on material sustenance but also on God. However, that is not what it says. What we actually have is two ways of living. One is “by bread alone”; the other is “by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD”. Either we live life dependent on the fulfillment of our basic physical needs, or we live life dependent upon God. The people of Israel needed to learn that. For life to be lived the way God intended, they needed to depend on him alone.

Note that relying upon God is not described in vague terms, but with clear reference to his words. Moses didn’t say here that man lives by being dependent or by trusting in God, which would be true, but rather that “man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD”. Living life the way God intends requires strict attention to his every word.

What Moses says is of great importance for our understanding of the Bible’s inspiration. If the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Covenant Writings are indeed inspired by God, then to what extent are the words themselves inspired? Are the Scriptures only inspired in some general sense, or did God intend the words themselves to be written the way they were? The New Covenant asserts the latter:

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:19-21).

Many Bible believers think that only the meanings of the words, not the words themselves, are inspired. This results in separating the words of Scripture from their supposed meanings. This makes us vulnerable to all sorts of concepts God never intended. Further, it is common to belittle the actual words of Scripture by asserting that they are relevant only to the time and culture in which they were written. Because the Bible writers saw the world so differently from how we do, it’s assumed that only the eternal principles, somehow contained within or behind the Bible’s words, are relevant to us today.

I don’t deny that the writers of Scripture saw the world very differently from us. But it was through those people writing in those times and places whom God chose to write the words he inspired. Understanding how to adapt ancient Scriptural truths to contemporary societies can be challenging, but it’s an essential challenge well worth the effort.

God’s words, not just his Word in some general sense, are inspired. Moses said (God through Moses actually) that we are to live by every word that comes from God’s mouth. God inspired the writers of Scripture to write the very words through which he has revealed both himself and his will to us. Perhaps if we truly lived by every word that came from God’s mouth, we would not only view the world the way he does, but we would also live the effective, godly lives he calls us to.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

Background image: The Great Isaiah Scroll (Dead Sea Scrolls) / By Photographs by Ardon Bar Hama, author of original document is unknown. – Website of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, see link., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12149044

For the week of July 25, 2026 / 11 Av 5786

Click image to view video version

V’etchannan/Nahamu
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11
Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26
Originally posted the week of July 28, 2018 / 16 Av 5778 (updated)

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:1-2)

One cannot overstate the drama of Isaiah’s comfort call. The contrast of these words with what comes before is so great that scholars tend to assume that they are authored by a different speaker or writer. The contrast of tone isn’t the only reason for the common scholarly determination of more than one “Isaiah,” but I don’t find such a conclusion compelling. More importantly, I contend that identification of the author is nowhere near as important as what is being said.

What we have here is the beginning of a sequel or a new act. Act One had ended with the stage going dark. All hope is lost because Israel has spiraled down to the apparent point of no return. Act One closes with a most cynical tale of King Hezekiah, one of the greatest of all Jewish kings, receiving God’s message from Isaiah that even though he successfully overcame the Assyrian siege and was miraculously cured of a terminal illness, Babylon, the empire that would succeed Assyria, will vanquish his dynasty and take the people into exile. If that’s not bad enough, the hitherto noble king comforts himself with the news that this won’t happen until after he is long dead.

Act Two bursts onto the stage with the words: “Comfort, comfort my people,” says Israel’s God—judgment has run its course, warfare has ended; sin is forgiven. The Hebrew word for “comfort” (nacham) has two basic meanings, depending on its use. Either way, it denotes change. It could mean “to relent,” a change of intention—one plan of action replacing another. The meaning here, however, is “to comfort” or “to be comforted”—an emotional change in which one feels a certain way, usually bad, and is consoled, shifting their outlook on life.

Against the backdrop of despair and cynicism is the promise of comfort. The diagnosis was devastating; the sickness far worse than imagined. Under normal circumstances, such a road leads to nothing but complete destruction. But not in this case—not as far as God’s people are concerned. The God of enduring, covenant love always has a positive future in mind for his precious people, despite comparatively short-term hardship.

Israel’s desperate plight at the end of Act One typifies our own day in many ways. Despite previously unknown levels of affluence and the exceptional quality of life experienced by so many, societal and personal darkness pervades. From old and new terminal illnesses to political instability to levels of antisemitism not seen since the 1930s and the threat of nuclear annihilation, one little spark can set the whole world ablaze. At the same time, we are engulfed by a cloud of meaninglessness and hopelessness that saturates the global psyche, and many no longer grasp what it means to be human.

God’s word to Israel was that the day was coming when their suffering would cease, creation would be renewed, and peace would reign forever. The Jewish people’s incessant angst and anguish would finally and forever be transformed when chaos turns to order, destruction to rebuilding, sickness to health, and death to life. Therefore, be comforted. The darkness will not last forever. Light will not only return but will never fade again.

These words of comfort are not for Israel alone. God’s heart for the Jewish people reflects his desire for all peoples. Every human being has a story like Israel, albeit with a different cast of characters and unique subplots. Yet, whatever our heritage, the human story is the same: tragically dark and often hopeless, if we are honest. Yet, like Israel, your story needn’t end there. With God, there’s a second Act for you too.

You may have thought that your story ends with Act One. You may think there’s nothing beyond the darkness of your life. Or, like Hezekiah, you comfort yourself with short-term vision, making the best of your situation. “It could be worse,” you say. Yet you know if you would look beyond yourself, you couldn’t handle the state of the world.

But the story isn’t over. God will come through. He has proven that through the resurrection of the Messiah. You may already believe that, even though you have a hard time being comforted. It might be that you are still stuck at the end of Act One, thinking, in spite of your claim to faith, that darkness has the final word after all.

Excuse me while I flick off and on the lights. Intermission is over! There’s more to your story because there is more to God’s story. Not only does he win in the end, but he also invites you to be part of it. Perhaps that’s your problem. All the while you have been sitting in the audience, when you are actually a star in the show. You don’t only get to be part of the grand conclusion; you have an essential role to play.

I understand why you are sitting there. Life has been so painful and confusing. You have tried to comfort yourself to no avail. But that’s the problem. Right now, God wants to heal and restore you. And he will if you cooperate with him. You will be comforted once you allow him to comfort you on his terms.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of July 18, 2026 / 4 Av 5786

Click image to view video version

D’varim
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22
Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1-27
Originally posted the week of August 10, 2019 / 9 Av 5779 (updated)

And the LORD said to me, “Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession.” (D’varim/Deuteronomy 2:9)

This is an excellent follow-up to last week’s message, Ideological Warfare, where I explained that understanding the current Middle East conflict is almost entirely about how the different sides view the world we live in. God’s call on the Jewish people has led us, often without realizing it, into a biblical worldview. Israel’s enemies and their official and unofficial allies often fail to grasp the actual framework within which the current conflict is being fought. This week’s message shows that Israel operates in a way very different from that of most people groups throughout history, a way, if heeded, could bring peace and prosperity to all.

Throughout the years of doing TorahBytes, I have sought to demonstrate the ongoing relevance of the Hebrew Scriptures, which are built on the foundation of the Torah, the Books of Moses. At times, I have done that by noting a specific principle found in one of God’s commandments or a lesson derived from a story. We might explore an aspect of the character of God, the nature of human beings, or the dynamics of how humans are to relate to God and to each other. But there’s more to learn from Scripture than principles and lessons. In fact, the principles and lessons of Scripture are deeply rooted in its general perspective on life. It’s in the soil of the Bible’s worldview that we discover how to navigate our complex existence.

It’s tragic when belief in Yeshua as Messiah results in the collapse of the breadth and depth of Truth as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures into a detached, spiritualized, overly personal experience. There is almost nothing in life, big or small, that isn’t effectively addressed by Scripture. We’re going to look at something big this week.

I think it’s an astounding insight. It was brought to my attention while reading the book, The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture by Yoram Hazony, and it is reflected in this week’s parsha (weekly Torah reading portion). Israel was preparing to enter the Promised Land and needed to journey through inhabited territory. They were given specific instructions on which territory they could take and which to leave alone. In this case, they were told not to “harass Moab,” because God allotted their land to these descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot. Israel’s acquisition of land was to be under God’s direction. We can look elsewhere in the Torah to see that God was very specific about Israel’s borders. They were given no mandate to expand beyond what was allotted to them.

Think about that. God made clear to Israel that they were not to build an empire but were to be satisfied with the geographical limitations imposed upon them by God. This is all the more astounding when we realize that Israel understood their God, rightly so, not as some sort of regional deity, but the God of the whole world. The Bible begins with God creating the “heavens and the earth” (Bereshit/Genesis 1:1); God declares at Mt. Sinai, “all the earth is mine” (Shemot/Exodus 19:5); and Psalm 47 proclaims him as the king of all the earth and ruler of the nations. Be that as it may, instead of this “God of all the earth” commissioning his people to take over the whole world, he teaches them to respect national boundaries. And that was in spite of the imperialistic tendencies of world powers both then and now.

This respect for nationality was firmly grasped by the leadership of Yeshua’s early community. In those first decades, some attempted to centralize control of the emergent New Covenant community within an exclusively Jewish context. In the Book of Acts, chapter fifteen, as the leaders thrashed out the implications of how the Messiah’s message was reaching the non-Jewish peoples of their day, they realized that God was indicating that while the good news was for everyone, each people-group would be free through the direction of God’s Spirit to work out how God’s kingship in the Messiah would be expressed within their cultural setting.

Centuries later, when messianic faith was co-opted by the Roman government, respect for national and cultural differences faded away and was replaced by age-old ungodly imperialistic tendencies. Instead of continuing a decentralized mosaic of nationalities, who were to find their way in God’s Truth with God’s help, the church government aligned with political power to homogenize the nations under God.

Despite this, God continues to regard the diversity of people groups while valuing national distinctions. We would do well to do the same.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of July 11, 2026 / 26 Tammuz 5786

Click image to view video version

Mattot & Masei
Torah: B’midbar/Numbers 30:2 – 36:13 (English 30:1 – 36:13)
Haftarah: Jeremiah 2:4–28, 3:4
Originally posted the week of July 26, 2014 / 28 Tammuz 5774 (updated)

Special note: July 2, 2026, marked the 1000th day since the October 7, 2023, massacre, the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Despite endless political deals and promises, this conflict, rooted in centuries-old animosity, seems destined never to end. My impression is that relatively few truly understand what is really going on. I posted the original version of the following message during the 2014 Gaza war. Reading it over again, including the article and the video mentioned, made me feel as if nothing had changed in twelve years. I contend that the only way any of us can effectively deal with these matters is by confronting the ideological battle with the truth of Scripture.

* * *

When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. (B’midbar/Numbers 33:51-52)

Like many others, I continue to be caught up in the tragic situation between Israel and its neighbors. The number of articles and videos is overwhelming. As you may know, if the issue includes Israel, we end up with an inordinate amount of emotionally charged attention and opinions.

Now and then, I come across an article or report that, in my opinion, stands out from the others for how the author avoids narrow definitions and simplistic conclusions. Richard Landes’s “Why the Arab World Is Lost in an Emotional Nakba, and How We Keep It There” examines the conflict through a worldview lens. Whether or not Landes’s evaluation is fully correct, he is right that the problem at hand is fundamentally ideological. How people see the world controls how they live life. Failure to accept that will undermine any attempt to resolve conflict, whether it be interpersonal or international.

But this is not the way many of us look at life. Instead, we prefer simplistic, superficial analysis along with quick, thoughtless solutions. A great example of this, as it relates to the current crisis, is Nina Paley’s three-and-a-half-minute animation, This Land Is Mine—a satirical retelling of the history of the region that features each people group being killed off by the next people group as their cartoon representatives seamlessly lip synch the song “This Land Is Mine” from the 1960 film, “Exodus.”

The appeal of Paley’s animation, apart from its humor, is its simplicity. But it’s a misguided simplicity that completely ignores the region’s historical reality. This version is stripped of any historical context whatsoever. The bigger picture that might inform and affect the behavior of the people involved is completely neglected, as if it were irrelevant. There is no consideration whatsoever for the various factions’ history, values, and aspirations. All the viewer is offered is a story of meaningless killing, along with the implied resolution being that if only the fighting stopped, everything would be okay. A cry of “why can’t we all get along!” may sound good, but it is devoid of any sense of authentic, not to mention lasting, justice.

What does this have to do with this week’s parsha (weekly Torah reading portion)? Everything. First, so much of the Bible is devoted to issues pertaining to the region in question. The backdrop to much of what is going on in Scripture can be termed “Middle East crisis.” By the Bible’s twelfth chapter, the claim to the Land of Israel is already a key theme. While many people are quick to draw personal spiritual lessons from the Bible’s stories, the context of both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Covenant Writings primarily concerns the region’s geopolitical issues. Yet many readers of Scripture treat this context in the same way as Paley’s animation. The bigger story becomes irrelevant in our attempt to distill the meaning we wish to derive.

The verses I quoted from this week’s parsha demonstrate what the conflict in the region is really all about. When God called the people of Israel to take the Land, they were not only to drive out its inhabitants, but also to destroy the objects of their religions. They were not simply a migrant people looking for territory and annihilating anybody who stood in their way. Their God-given objective was to establish a godly community of truth and righteousness, while, at the same time, displacing the previous inhabitants. This was not indiscriminate, but was rather the God-ordained judgment on peoples whose evil behavior had become irreversible (see Bereshit/Genesis 15:16).

I am not proposing that the modern State of Israel should follow the same directions today that God gave through Moses over three thousand years ago. I don’t believe that the Bible supports that at all. Still, this reminds us that all conflict is fundamentally ideological. This is why Landes’s article is so helpful. He understands that the two sides differ in how they see the world. Additionally, Paley’s animation offers a more contemporary perspective that effectively skirts the real issues, while (hopefully unintentionally) insulting the people involved by belittling their concerns.

The Bible is God’s revelation of the way the world really is and calls us to make that truth known in the name of the Messiah. The players in the current conflict are caught up in this ideological battle, whether they know it or not. The only way we will ever find lasting resolutions to this and every other conflict is by gaining a better understanding of God’s perspective through his written Word.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of July 4, 2026 / 19 Tammuz 5786

Click image to view video version

Pinchas
Torah: B’midbar/Numbers 25:10 – 30:1 (English 25:10 – 29:40)
Haftarah: Jeremiah 1:1 – 2:3
Originally posted the week of July 26, 2008 / 23 Tammuz 5768 (updated)

Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 1:6-8)

A saying I have often heard is “You can do anything you want, as long as you set your mind to it.” However, this only works when it does; otherwise, it doesn’t. It seems to me the purpose of this saying is usually to motivate someone to do something they really want to do but fear they can’t. Fear is certainly an obstacle to accomplishing something, and difficult tasks require that we do our best to see them through to the end. But it is ridiculous to think that setting one’s mind on something is in itself a guarantee of success.

The prophet Jeremiah faced the difficult task of being God’s spokesman at a crucial time in the nation’s history. When God called him to this task, we don’t know if he understood the implications of his vocation, but what we do know is that he didn’t feel up to the job.

God’s response to him was not in the form of the kind of motivational speeches common in our day. God didn’t tell Jeremiah that if he would set his mind on being a prophet, he would be a prophet. Nor did God challenge him to visualize success and strive for greatness.

What God did do was first, he told him not to put himself down. Jeremiah felt that his youth somehow undermined his ability to accomplish the task at hand. This may sound like a “don’t be negative” pep talk, but it is deeper than that. It wasn’t as if a positive frame of mind would automatically enable him to do what God was calling him to do. It was simply that when God calls us to do something it doesn’t matter how old we are. Young people can be prophets too, if God so calls them.

Second, God said that Jeremiah would go where God would tell him to go and he would speak to those whom God would command him to speak. That may sound like, “You are going to do it, because you’re going to do it.” But that’s not really what God said to him. God said that Jeremiah would go where God sends him and speak what God commands. God determined that he would take charge of Jeremiah’s life, directing him and inspiring him. There is nothing we can’t do when God takes charge like that.

Third, God told him not to be afraid. But this wasn’t God just telling him to calm down as if he had no reason to be afraid. What God was telling him to do was truly intimidating. The reason Jeremiah was not to be afraid, was because God promised to personally take care of him.

God was not challenging Jeremiah to find power within himself to overcome the obstacles to his personal dream. Rather, because God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, God would also enable him to do it.

Whenever God calls us to do something, he enables us to do it. That doesn’t mean that everything God calls us to do will be easy as we see from the rest of Jeremiah’s life. Still, no matter how difficult a God-given task may be, we can do it.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version