weekly insights

“When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back. When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free” (Exodus 23:4-5). Examine these words from the Book of Exodus carefully. Read them aloud. Ponder the detail of the text. Note its setting: amidst rules against slander and the perversion of justice (23:1-3, 6-8) and concluding with a verse about protec

Having escaped with his people from Egypt, across the Red Sea and into the wilderness of Sinai, Moses is joined by his wife and sons and visited by his father-in-law, Jethro. Yethro priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Israel His people, how the Lord had brought Israel out from Egypt. So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law . . . brought Moses' sons and wife to him in the wilderness, where he was encamped at the mountain of God. (Exodus 18:1,5) Read

In Exodus 14:15-16 the Lord speaks to Moses in the midst of a terrifying scene: Having escaped from Egypt, the Hebrew refugees find themselves trapped on the shore of the Red Sea: an expanse of water on one side and, on the other, Egyptian chariots in pursuit with murderous intent. In their terror the people cry out to the Lord, and even accuse Moses of leading them to their deaths (v.11). Now, in verses 15-16, G-d intervenes... Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry ou

In Exodus 12 we find the story of a momentous event that shapes Israel as a people and is told and retold through the generations to this very day. What event? The Passover: the ritual meal shared by the Hebrews on the night of their exodus from Egypt. With this story comes the first comprehensive list of religious precepts that we find in the Bible. Many more will follow, especially in Leviticus. But here, at the critical turning point that is the Passover, we find the first

‘But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not listen to them...’ (Exodus 9:12, NRSV). By the time we reach chapter 6 of the book of Exodus, liberation for the Hebrews enslaved in Egypt has begun. With Moses and Aaron acting as agents, G-d confronts Pharaoh through dramatic displays of divine power over the natural world in the form of ten plagues. Here, let’s explore a portion of the narrative where six of the ten plagues are presented: chapters 7, 8 and the f

Moses said, ‘I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn’t the bush burn up?’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: ‘Moses, Moses.’ (Exodus 3:3-4) Moses’ encounter at the burning bush is a moment of revelation. But it doesn’t happen all at once. At first Moses is fascinated by what appears to be a natural phenomenon. Drawn to it, he comes to realize that G-d is addressing him. From the vast corpus of Jewish bib

In Matthew’s Gospel (2:1-12) the Magi embark upon a journey seeking the ‘infant king of the Jews’. They are foreigners 'from the east' in a story awash with Jewish characters, symbols, texts. For example, the Magi are led to Jerusalem, the cultic centre of Jewish life. Navigating a dangerous encounter with King Herod, their enquiry takes them to Bethlehem. These directions come via the Jewish priests and scribes who know that, according to a prophetic tradition of Israel, the

“I am your brother Joseph, he whom you sold into Egypt” (Genesis 45:4). With these words, Joseph reveals his true identity to his estranged brothers. They have been apart for so long, ever since Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. But now a dramatic opportunity for reconciliation is at hand. Will Joseph and his brothers grasp the moment to forge a new path of unity and peace? Or will the estrangement continue?   Read through the whole of this reconcilia

I wrote this Hanukkah reflection just prior to the Bondi massacre, and did not manage to send it during the days that followed. So here it is, in its original form, published in time for the lighting of the eighth Hanukkah candle. Words are inadequate to describe the grief of the Jewish community in Australia at this time. Our prayers are with them, and with each of the families, within and beyond the Jewish community, who are mourning their loved ones who were murdered in Au

"Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau” (Genesis 32:4.) As Genesis 32 opens, Jacob, with his wives and children, his handmaids and household staff, his animals and treasures, is traveling back to his homeland, to Canaan. He has just spent twenty years working for his uncle, Laban, and now leaves as an economic success. But what awaits him at home? His father, Isaac, is still alive; his mother, Rebecca, is probably already dead; and now he is distressed by news that

Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and broke into tears” (Genesis 29:11). Thus begins the love story of Jacob and Rachel in the book of Genesis. The setting for their first encounter is a well (Genesis 29:1-14). Rachel is there tending her father’s sheep, whereas Jacob has just arrived, having fled his home in Beersheba after causing a major family upset. His brother Esau wants to kill him so, on the advice of his mother Rebekah, Jacob sets out on a journey to the household of Rebeka

Genesis 26 tells a story from the adult life of Isaac. It is a story strikingly similar to a story about his father, Abraham, in Genesis 20. Like his father, Isaac receives the Lord’s blessing and prospers. Like Abraham, he goes to the land of Gerar to escape famine and has a similar exchange with the local king. Like his father, he digs wells and finds water... Read chapter 26, especially verses 1-18, and prayerfully ponder the details of the sacred text. After sharing your

Chapter 23 of Genesis continues the drama of Abraham’s family life. It opens with the death and burial of his wife, Sarah. In Jewish commentary, the proximity of this scene to the previous week’s Torah reading of the Binding/Sacrifice of Isaac led to a startling thought: when Sarah discovered that Abraham had intended to kill their son Isaac, did she die of a broken heart? Our focus today, however, is a business deal: Abraham’s purchase of a piece of land that will become the

Our focus this week is Genesis 22:1-19. In Christian tradition this passage is known as 'the sacrifice of Isaac'. In Jewish tradition it is known as 'the binding of Isaac'. The horror of the narrative grabs our attention and draws us into the text with understandable questions and objections: Why would the G-d ask a father to sacrifice his own son? Many Christians are familiar with this reading as part of the Easter Vigil, and it also appears as part of the weekday morning se

Abraham, the founding father of our faith, is central to our Torah portion this week. Actually, as the story opens he is called Abram. Only later, in 17:5, will his name be changed to Abraham. Read as much of the Torah portion as you can (Gen. 12.1–17.27). It is an engaging narrative! Our focus, however, will be the dramatic opening words of commissioning in Gen. 12:1. “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that

This week is an opportunity to extend our knowledge of a familiar bible story, perhaps known since childhood: Noah’s ark. You may already be familiar with what God said to Noah before the building of the ark. We can readily recall that God expressed disappointment in the wickedness of the human race and revealed the divine plan to destroy the earth in a flood. But what were God’s words to Noah after the flood, after Noah and his family and animals had come out of the ark? Rea

I love this part of the Jewish calendar - when the weekly reading of the Torah in synagogues begins all over again, with the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis ('Bereshit', 'In the beginning', is its Hebrew title). I t always feels like a fresh start. A moment of renewal. In whatever way my annual commitment to Torah reading might have lagged or been interrupted over the past twelve months, now is my opportunity to begin again at Genesis 1:1. And what beautiful stories f

Teresa Pirola | October 7, 2025 The first detail I notice is the bullet holes. They disfigure everything in sight — walls, ceiling,...

Festival greetings to Jewish friends for Rosh Hashanah, with heartfelt wishes and prayers for all the goodness & sweetness of the new...

Moses and the Israelites are encamped on the plains of Moab, poised to enter the promised land. There Moses gives a final speech,...