Blog posts related to the weekly Torah portions. How Messianic and Hebrew Roots believers in Messiah Yeshua can apply insight from the Portions.
Each year The Messianic Light makes available a Torah Portion Calendar for the annual Torah reading cycle. The calendar follows the Hebrew months, beginning with the seventh month Tishrei when the new cycle starts. The annual Torah Portion cycle begins and ends following Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. We encourage readers to think in terms … Read more
The Messianic Torah Portion calendar for 5783 is now available for download. One primary purpose for this design is to encourage Messianic and Hebrew Roots believers to think in terms of the Creator’s calendar.
Joseph spent time in the pit – twice. King David wrote about being in a “pit,” though in his case more metaphorical than literal. Yeshua experienced the lowest pit possible – dead in the grave.
For several years now I’ve been reading the weekly Torah and Haftarah portions along with a related selection from the New Testament. Of course, I’m not the only one. Reading the Torah portions has long been a practice in the Jewish community and Messianic Judaism has continued the custom. As other Messianic and Hebraic groups … Read more
From time to time I am blessed by a letter from my friend Tom that includes a summary of something he has been studying. Tom is a Messianic Jewish believer in Yeshua and is currently incarcerated. This week I received something from him about Torah Portion Vayikra. We don’t always agree on everything, but it … Read more
Here is a beautiful hymn written by Isaac Watts almost 300 years ago. The lyrics are based entirely on Psalm 90 and were composed at a time when the songs sung in church services were almost always the actual words of Scripture. Psalm 90 is the only Psalm attributed to Moses. The title of this Psalm, which … Read more
“I can’t get no satisfaction.” – (Jagger & Richards)
Father Abraham sang a different tune. This week’s Torah portion tells us that at the end of his life, “Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:8).
Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 are nearly identical Psalms of David. Reading or hearing the same thing twice might be an indication it should be given a little more attention. Both begin with the same declaration: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” “The fear of ADONAI is the beginning of … Read more
In a few weeks it will be time to restart the Torah reading cycle. Every year at the conclusion of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, we celebrate Simchat Torah, a Hebrew phrase that means “rejoicing in the Torah.” The final Torah portion in Devarim (Deuteronomy) is read. If an actual Torah scroll is used, it … Read more
During a study of Torah portion Ekev, a gentleman in our group was talking about the “other ark” and asked me what I knew about it. Honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about, and asked him to explain. He opened up his Bible and started to read from the weekly portion – … Read more