weekly insights

Come with us as we explore Deuteronomy 26:1-11, with the help of insights from the Jewish tradition. On the slopes of Moab in sight of...

At times, Deuteronomy can appear to the reader as a formidable list of rules (e.g., ch 11-16) as Moses impresses upon the Israelites...

In the Book of Deuteronomy Moses delivers a series of speeches as he prepares the Israelites for entry into the Promised Land. In chapter...

“Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord...” (Deut. 6:18). Over the centuries, this verse in Deuteronomy has attracted the...

In Numbers 27:12-23 God takes Moses up the mountain on the east side of the Jordan, overlooking the land into which his people will...

We continue our Torah reflections, making our way through the Book of Numbers. Chapter 21 depicts yet another flashpoint in the...

Fiery tensions are unleashed in the Israelites' wilderness trek, as we continue our journey through the Book of Numbers. No sooner has...

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...

As the Book of Numbers continues the story of the Israelites’ epic wilderness journey, episodes of rebellion and conflict emerge. With...

"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...

In Numbers 4:1-20 we find the Lord’s instructions concerning how the Tabernacle [a portable sanctuary] should be handled when the...

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...

Leviticus 22:32 has been called ‘Israel’s Bible in miniature.’ This verse expresses two of Judaism’s key commandments. First, it warns...

In the Hebrew Scriptures the term tzara’at can refer to a variety of skin ailments (translated in various ways, e.g., ‘scaly skin’,...

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...

Chapters 6-8 of the Book of Leviticus continue with instructions for worship. They start with details about bringing sacrificial...

This week, we turn to the Book of Leviticus, in our Light of Torah series of reflections. Compared to the action-packed stories of...

What can a face reveal about divine presence? This reflection on the face of Moses follows the insights of traditional Jewish approaches...

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...

Having received the stone tablets inscribed with the Decalogue (‘ten commandments’), in chapters 25-27 of the Book of Exodus, in this...