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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Ancient wisdom for modern boundaries: Immigration, identity and loving your neighbor (Leviticus 19; Matthew 18)

Ancient wisdom for modern boundaries: Immigration, identity and loving your neighbor (Leviticus 19; Matthew 18). Adobe AI artwork of a sad looking woman with a broken heart next to her.

Though 3,500 years separates us from the instructions of Heaven to Israel in the Torah reading קְדֹשִׁים Kedoshim/Qedoshim (Leviticus 19:1–20:26) and 2,000 years from Messiah Yeshua’s (Christ Jesus’) counsel in Matthew 18, the message is the same today as before: respect God and others. This study explores the surprisingly relevant principles for today’s society include the dangers of Moloch worship, which at its core is the pursuit of personal benefit at the expense of future generations (infants presented as offerings).

Among the parallels between the Ten Commandments and the “Holiness Code” of Leviticus 19 is the tie between the Golden Rule (Lev. 19:18) and the Sixth Commandment, particularly the role of empathy in addressing conflicts and corrections in relationships in the body of believers.

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Torah readings

Torah reading Kedoshim (קדשים): Leviticus 19-20

Studies in Torah

There’s a lot of talk about the holiness of God and being holy. But what does it mean? Thankfully, God tells us in Leviticus 19-20, the Torah reading appropriately called קְדֹשִׁים Kedoshim/Qedoshim, or “holiness[es].”

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Apostolic Writings Atonement Discussions Torah

Heaven’s firewall: How Yom Kippur teaches us to filter thoughts through Yeshua (Leviticus 16–18; 1Corinthians 5–6)

Heaven's firewall: How Yom Kippur teaches us to filter thoughts through Yeshua (Leviticus 16-18; 1Corinthians 5-6). Adobe AI artwork of a woman with exposed brain divided between dark and bright hemispheres.

This study of Torah reading אַחֲרֵי מוֹת Acharei Mot (“after the deaths,” Leviticus 16–18) with 1Corinthians 5–6 explores complex modern moral issues, including organ donation, gender identity and spiritual decay. The seemingly paradoxical dual character of God as “high and lifted up” and “God with us” helps us understand the Messiah’s role as high priest and the two covering-removing offerings of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

These passages emphasize the need for spiritual discernment. Like a firewall against cyberattacks, we must filter thoughts and experiences through God’s words and recognizing whose voice we are listening to as we navigate the complexities of life, be they ancient or modern.

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Torah readings

Torah reading Acharei Mot (אחרי מות): Leviticus 16–18

Studies in Torah

Should we feel shame for going against the Creator’s instructions? What do we do about that guilt?

Discussed at length in the New Testament letter to the Hebrews, Yom haKippurim (Day of Atonement) is one of the most important lessons in the parables connected to the Moedim (appointed times) of the LORD and the Tabernacle. It teaches the grace and mercy the Creator offers by covering all offenses, pointing to the work of the Mashiakh (Christ).

Yom haKippurim, the focus of the Torah reading אַחֲרֵי מוֹת Acharei Mot (“after the deaths,” Leviticus 16–18),  is about freedom from the old life and getting closer to the Giver of Life.

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Appointments With God Discussions Passover Torah Unleavened Bread

Crying out to the God Who hears: Lamenting injustice and hoping in divine resolution (Exodus 3–4)

Crying out to the God Who hears: Lamenting injustice and hoping in divine resolution (Exodus 3-4). Adobe Firefly AI-generated image of an old woman crying out in anguish.

The three signs Elohim gave Moshe (Moses) at the burning bush in Exodus 4 to show the elders of Israel revealed God knew intimately the horrors they endured during centuries of bondage in Mitzraim (Egypt).

First, the staff becoming a snake and back again symbolized how the “tribe” of Israel had been made contemptible in Egypt but was being restored, finally though the Red Sea crossing. Second, the leprous hand showed God saw their affliction as if they were stillborn infants, to which Moshe’s sister, Miriam, was compared. Third, turning a jug of water into blood red revealed that God witnessed their babies’ murders by Egypt into the Nile, which be expanded to grand scale in the first plague.

This study explores that through these signs addressing their specific traumas, God demonstrated to the elders that He heard, remembered, saw and knew His “first-born,” and God would gain justice for their sufferings in Egypt. This is a key lesson of Pesach (Passover) and Matzot (Unleavened Bread).

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Discussions Torah

From isolation to community: The journey of restoration (Leviticus 14–15; 2Kings 7; Matthew 8; Luke 17; Isaiah 53; 1John 5)

Isolation to community: The journey of restoration (Leviticus 14-15; 2Kings 7; Matthew 8; Luke 17; Isaiah 53; 1John 5). Adobe AI-generated watercolor of 8 men looking away while one in the middle walks closer to the viewer.

The Torah’s cleansing process for “leprosy” in people and houses recorded in Torah reading מְּצֹרָע Metzora (“leper,” Leviticus 14–15) symbolized restoration, yet isolated the “unclean.” This study explores how Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) in Matthew 8 and Luke 17 inverted this process by providing immediate healing and instructing the restored to offer sacrifices, just as the Torah prescribed, yet welcoming all into God’s presence through faith in His atoning work. A similar lesson comes from an account in 2Kings 7 of four lepers.

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Torah readings

Torah reading Metzora (מצורע): Leviticus 14–15

Studies in Torah

A house with toxic mold can be a hidden chronic health hazard. And an unsightly discoloration of the skin could be the harbinger of a creeping killer, if not diagnosed properly and quickly. The physical necessities of dealing with such “leprosy” in body and stuff illustrate well the cancers of character that grow and consume, if left untreated.

The Torah reading, מְּצֹרָע Metzora (“leper,” Leviticus 14–15) reveals how entering the Presence of the Creator of Heaven and Earth requires cleanliness that’s more than skin-deep. That cleanup job is something that’s described in Yom haKippurim (Day of Atonement, Leviticus 16) and reaches its reality in the death and resurrection of Yeshua the Mashiakh (Jesus the Christ).