Light of Torah
Generous Giving: A Lesson for Leaders
"Then...everyone whose spirit was willing...brought the Lord’s offering to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and...
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weekly insights
Light of Torah
- May 17
- 3 min
MOVING CAMP IN THE WILDERNESS
In Numbers 4:1-20 we find the Lord’s instructions concerning how the Tabernacle [a portable sanctuary] should be handled when the...
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Light of Torah
- May 11
- 3 min
Torah Math
Towards the end of the Book of Leviticus, we find in chapter 26 a listing of the blessings which will ensue if the people follow God’s...
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Light of Torah
- May 5
- 3 min
Hallowed Be Your Name
Leviticus 22:32 has been called ‘Israel’s Bible in miniature.’ This verse expresses two of Judaism’s key commandments. First, it warns...
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Light of Torah
- Apr 21
- 3 min
A Plague in the House
In the Hebrew Scriptures the term tzara’at can refer to a variety of skin ailments (translated in various ways, e.g., ‘scaly skin’,...
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Light of Torah
- Apr 14
- 3 min
Dietary Laws in Leviticus
With a title like that, I welcome my most diehard Light of Torah readers (and/or the very curious!) to this week's blog. Our focus for...
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Light of Torah
- Apr 1
- 3 min
‘The Life of the Flesh is in the Blood’
Chapters 6-8 of the Book of Leviticus continue with instructions for worship. They start with details about bringing sacrificial...
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Light of Torah
- Mar 24
- 3 min
Drawing Near to God: Two Views
This week, we turn to the Book of Leviticus, in our Light of Torah series of reflections. Compared to the action-packed stories of...
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Light of Torah
- Mar 10
- 3 min
Moses' Face Shone
What can a face reveal about divine presence? This reflection on the face of Moses follows the insights of traditional Jewish approaches...
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Light of Torah
- Mar 2
- 3 min
The Tabernacle
In John's Gospel we read, ‘And the Word became flesh and lived among us’ (1:14, NRSV). Lived among us. New Testament scholars consider...
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Light of Torah
- Feb 22
- 3 min
The Gift of a Willing Heart
Having received the stone tablets inscribed with the Decalogue (‘ten commandments’), in chapters 25-27 of the Book of Exodus, in this...
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Light of Torah
- Feb 16
- 3 min
'You Shall Not Oppress a Stranger'
The obligation to treat the ‘stranger’ with justice resonates powerfully in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Jewish sages are sensitive to...
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Light of Torah
- Feb 15
- 7 min
Five Ways to Avoid Anti-Judaism this Lent
Astute Christian homilists and teachers know that one of the challenges of ‘breaking open’ the Scriptures during Lent, and especially...
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Light of Torah
- Jan 19
- 3 min
Exodus Interrupted
Read Exodus 6:1—7:7 slowly, carefully, and preferably with a friend. The narrative describes God preparing Moses for the great event of...
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Light of Torah
- Jan 12
- 3 min
An Awakening for Moses
This week, we commence the Book of Exodus and select this verse as our focus: "Now it was some years later, Moshe grew up; he went out to...
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Light of Torah
- Jan 9
- 8 min
25 Homiletic tips for Next Christmas, 2023
Can Christians find the words to honour Judaism at Christmas time? Jesus was born a Jew. He was born in the first century of the common...
159 views
Light of Torah
- Jan 5
- 3 min
Jacob Blesses his Grandchildren
As the Book of Genesis draws to its conclusion, in chapter 48 we find a poignant deathbed scene. The elderly Jacob shares final words...
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Light of Torah
- Dec 29, 2022
- 3 min
Joseph, Jacob and a Tragic Misunderstanding
The story of Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers is one of the great dramas of the book of Genesis, and Judah’s passionate speech...
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Light of Torah
- Dec 22, 2022
- 3 min
Jacob's Decision
In this week’s Torah portion Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy food while their own land is in the grip of famine. However he does not...
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