Light of Torah
Affliction, Healing, and a Bronze Serpent
We continue our Torah reflections, making our way through the Book of Numbers. Chapter 21 depicts yet another flashpoint in the...
top of page
weekly insights
Light of Torah
- Jun 23, 2023
- 3 min
Fire in the Desert
Fiery tensions are unleashed in the Israelites' wilderness trek, as we continue our journey through the Book of Numbers. No sooner has...
49 views
Light of Torah
- Jun 16, 2023
- 3 min
God's love for Israel
In the face of repeated rebellions by the Israelites, Moses is found pleading with the Lord to show mercy to the people. Such was the...
70 views
Light of Torah
- Jun 9, 2023
- 3 min
Rebellion in the Wilderness
As the Book of Numbers continues the story of the Israelites’ epic wilderness journey, episodes of rebellion and conflict emerge. With...
45 views
Light of Torah
- Jun 1, 2023
- 3 min
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...
50 views
Light of Torah
- May 17, 2023
- 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...
51 views
Light of Torah
- May 11, 2023
- 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...
53 views
Light of Torah
- May 5, 2023
- 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...
96 views
Light of Torah
- Apr 21, 2023
- 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’,...
60 views
Light of Torah
- Apr 14, 2023
- 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...
52 views
Light of Torah
- Apr 1, 2023
- 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...
43 views
Light of Torah
- Mar 24, 2023
- 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...
59 views
Light of Torah
- Mar 10, 2023
- 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...
106 views
Light of Torah
- Mar 2, 2023
- 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...
174 views
Light of Torah
- Feb 22, 2023
- 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...
74 views
Light of Torah
- Feb 16, 2023
- 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...
49 views
Light of Torah
- Feb 15, 2023
- 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...
207 views
Light of Torah
- Jan 19, 2023
- 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...
53 views
Light of Torah
- Jan 12, 2023
- 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...
56 views
Light of Torah
- Jan 9, 2023
- 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...
167 views
bottom of page