Why does God let evil things happen? Why do people who supposedly are close to God do evil things? Just as all who profess to be of Abraham aren’t actually truly descendants of him (John 8:39–47), so too, those who claim to be in Messiah (Christ) are not actually in Him (Matt. 7:21–24; Romans 9). These are some of the tough questions tackled in the Torah reading תולדות Toldot/Toledot (“generations,” Gen. 25:19–28:9).
The account of Lot is one of the most salacious tragedies in the Torah, but from it we can learn precious lessons about the things that can sneak up and destroy us when we’re not paying attention. We are told in the reading וַיֵּרָא Vayera (“he appeared,” Gen. 18:1–22:24) that he was a righteous man, but he was incapable of teaching his own wife, family and community how to walk uprightly with God and with their neighbors.
Abraham, on the other hand, was also a righteous man, but Abraham stood out in God’s eyes. Abraham was righteous and he also had the gift of teaching, and successfully taught his children how to choose to walk in righteousness and avoid evil. The zenith of this gift was in Isaac’s complete trust in Abraham as he prepared to sacrifice his son on an altar to God, because God asked him to do so.
This is why Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) taught that we must “remember Lot’s wife.”
If Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is merely a time to fast, and get your ticket punched with your messianic family and friends, you are wasting your time and theirs.
This time is not just a time to afflict one’s body by abstinence from food and water, but more importantly, a time to afflict one’s soul by facing up to your sins, transgressions and iniquities and giving them over to the Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus), so He can heal your heart and soul.
Blowing a trumpet is meant to draw attention to a particular event. Whether it’s a call to arms or a call to remembrance, when one hears a trumpet or shofar blast, it’s a sound that cannot and will not be ignored.
Yom Teruah — the Feast of Trumpets — the first of God’s fall appointments is a call to repentance and to prepare to face God in judgment, which is memorialized 10 days later on Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement.
One can’t help but connect Trumpets to the seven trumpets of Revelation. And in this study, we will see more deeply the connection between this festival and God’s preparation of the Commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:11–22) to face the final judgement.
If the United States of America are in decline as a superpower, it is not the fault of the Communist Chinese, the Russians or the European Union. It is our own fault. The diagnosis and the remedy of this decline are the Torah portion כי תבוא Ki Tavo (“when you come in [to the Land],” Deut. 26:1–29:8).
The practical application of the Fifth Commandment to honor one’s mother and father (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16) goes far beyond our parents. In the Torah passage שֹׁפְטִים Shoftim (“judges,” Deut. 16:18–21:9) and via the teachings of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ), we learn that this instruction also applies in our we interact with and respect those who have power over us.
Torah reading עקב Ekev/Eikev (“consequence,” Deut. 7:12-11:25) us how to keep the first of the 10 Commandments. God is telling the children of Israel to remember Him when they enter the Promised Land. He is bringing them into the Promised Land because of the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Remember the Promised Land; remember the Promise Giver.
It’s good to know God’s commands, but it’s also good to have examples of how those commands were either kept or broken as a lesson for us. The 10 Commandments (Exodus 20) give us knowledge, but Deuteronomy has been given to us so we can exercise wisdom in how keeping them.