Light of Torah
The Ten Commandments: A Love Story
“Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for the Eternal had come down upon it in fire...and the whole mountain trembled violently. The blare...
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weekly insights
Light of Torah
- Jan 30, 2021
- 2 min
Learning to be Free
In the Book of Exodus two biblical masterpieces conclude the account of the liberation from Egypt. Chapter 14 tells of the crossing of...
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Light of Torah
- Jan 28, 2021
- 3 min
Blessed are you . . . who has Created the Fruit of the Tree
"We are nurtured by deep roots, as far back as Abraham and Sarah; we reach upwards to the heavens while standing firmly on the ground;...
25 views
Light of Torah
- Jan 27, 2021
- 1 min
International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021
We Remember the Six Million. We remember each one, a unique person, with an irreplaceable story. We remember all who died and suffered....
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Light of Torah
- Jan 23, 2021
- 3 min
This Night . . .
Exodus 10-13 tells of dramatic events. Three more plagues exhibit the power of the Lord. The tug-of-war continues between Pharaoh and...
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Light of Torah
- Jan 15, 2021
- 3 min
I am the LORD
In the Book of Exodus we find a sequence of tense encounters between Pharaoh and the two Hebrew brothers, Moses and Aaron. The encounters...
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Light of Torah
- Jan 9, 2021
- 2 min
A Life and Death Struggle
Exodus: that foundational story of God’s liberation of the Israelites from slavery and their formation as a nation. Exodus opens with the...
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Light of Torah
- Jan 2, 2021
- 3 min
Jacob's Longing
As our Torah portion opens, Jacob has been 17 years in Egypt. His longing for his homeland is unmistakable. His longings reflect not only...
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Light of Torah
- Dec 26, 2020
- 3 min
Why was Jacob Afraid?
Today’s Torah portion appears to bring the saga of Jacob’s sons to a happy conclusion. In a tearful reunion, Joseph reveals himself as...
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Light of Torah
- Dec 19, 2020
- 2 min
Joseph stands his ground
Have you ever been placed in a situation where your life, career or a relationship hung in the balance? A moment when your next choice of...
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Light of Torah
- Dec 10, 2020
- 2 min
December Lights
In December both Christians and Jews hold candle-lighting rituals. Christian families light the Advent wreath candles on the Sundays...
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Light of Torah
- Dec 3, 2020
- 3 min
Brotherly reunion? Or battleground?
"Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau” (Genesis 32:4.) As Genesis 32 opens, Jacob, with his entourage of wives, children,...
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Light of Torah
- Nov 28, 2020
- 2 min
Jacob's Ladder
Our Torah reflection this week, from Chapter 28 of Genesis, opens with Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, fleeing to Haran having just...
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Light of Torah
- Nov 21, 2020
- 3 min
Living Water, Living Tradition
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...
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Light of Torah
- Nov 9, 2020
- 3 min
'Night of Broken Glass': Remembrance & Responsibility
“Where books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned also” — Heinrich Heine, German critic and poet (1797-1856) This quote...
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Light of Torah
- Nov 4, 2020
- 3 min
So, why did the Lord visit Abraham?
“The Lord appeared to him [Abraham] by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot” (Gen:...
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Light of Torah
- Nov 4, 2020
- 2 min
Abraham goes forth
The figure of Abraham is central to our Torah reflections this week (Genesis 12:1 - 17:27). Actually, as the story opens he is called...
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Light of Torah
- Oct 23, 2020
- 3 min
Noah Alone
So, you think you know the story of Noah’s Ark? So did I until I began reading it with the help of traditional Jewish insights. The...
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Light of Torah
- Oct 17, 2020
- 2 min
Which Adam? Which Eve?
In the opening two chapters of Genesis the reader finds two different accounts of the creation of humankind. What are we to make of these...
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Light of Torah
- Oct 10, 2020
- 2 min
rejoicing in the torah!
Can Christian awareness of the Jewish festival Simchat Torah ('Rejoicing in the Torah') enliven their own Christian Bible reading? What...
30 views
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