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The Devil Made Me Do It Parashat B'reisheet (Genesis 1:1-6:8) Generally, when we study Parshat B’reisheet we focus in on either the days of creation or the Fall of Man. However, there are many more lessons to be learned from this brief account of the origins of humanity and sin. We can learn an important lesson from the story of Cain and Abel about how we are the masters of our own destiny. As we know, Adam and Eve’s first two children were Cain and Abel, respectively. Cain was an agrarian, one who worked the land to grow produce. Abel, however, was a herdsman, raising livestock. They both brought offerings before the LORD: Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. (Genesis 4:3–4) read more »	Imitating God Parashat Vezot ha'Brachah (Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12) A fundamental concept within Judaism is that we are to imitate God in certain ways. This concept is known as imitatio Dei, or imitation of the Divine. We can see this pattern in several places in the Scriptures, but one of the most explicit is Leviticus 19:2. It says, “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” We imitate Hashem’s holiness, His uniqueness, when we imitate His deeds. For example, we read about God clothing Adam and Eve in their nakedness. Just as God clothes the naked, so should we give clothes to those who need them. We see the LORD sending three angels to visit Abraham immediately after his circumcision (Genesis 17–18). Just as God visits the sick, so should his children visit those who are ill. Just as Hashem watches over the orphan, the widow, and the sojourner, we are to do likewise (Deuteronomy 10:18–19). read more »
The Torah And The Resurrection Parashat Ha'azinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52) In the days of our Master Yeshua, the Pharisees and the Sadducees debated the certainty of the resurrection. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, whereas the Sadducees rejected this concept. The reason for the debate was that the Torah does not explicitly mention any kind of resurrection. However, passages within the Torah seem to point to a resurrection. A few of these passages are found within the last two Torah portions. Last week we read: And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. (Deuteronomy 31:16) read more »	Torah For The Nations Parashat Vayelech (Deuteronomy 31:1-31:30) Parashat Vayelech is a single chapter merely thirty verses in length. It’s primary focus is the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua. Moses commissions Joshua in the site of the entire nation and tells him to be “strong and courageous” as he leads the Children of Israel into the land God has promised to them. He also hands the Torah over to the Levites and instructs them to read the Torah in the presence of all the people during the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles) at the end of the Shemitah, the seventh year of release. He gives specific instructions for who should hear and learn the Torah during this time: read more »
Circumcise Me Twice Parashat Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9[10]-30:20) Currently, we are living in a world where the heart of man struggles to submit to the Divine will. Its natural tendency is to challenge the guidelines God has established for the good of man. In the Messianic Age, however, the heart of man will surrender to the will of God. The prophets anticipated this future time and spoke of its implications: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33) I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:26–27) read more »	The Responsibility of Influence Parashat Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8) Parashat Ki Tavo is so named because of its open verse, which says, “When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it …” (Deuteronomy 26:1). The words ki tavo mean “when you come.” Thus, this parashah is focused on the responsibility of the Children of Israel when they arrive in the land promised to them by Hashem. The first few paragraphs address bringing the bikkurim, the first fruits of the land to the LORD and the ceremony surrounding this procedure. After this Hashem gives Israel a reminder of their responsibility as a people who are consecrated to the LORD: read more »

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