Starting after Sukkot 2024, Hallel Fellowship switched to a three-year cycle of Torah and parallel Bible readings (2024–2027), outlined by TorahResource. While there’s ancient evidence for a triennial cycle, a major benefit is to provide more time to mine more of Scripture for lessons.
Key themes
- Tree of Life vs. the Tree of Knowledge. This dilemma set up a diverging path in humanity’s relationship with God. The Tree of Life is often associated with the Torah or God’s wisdom, providing guidance towards spiritual life, while the Tree of Knowledge embodies a choice that appears wise but leads to separation from God and mortality (Proverbs 3:18; John 1:1–14).
- The interaction between God, Adam, Eve and the serpent. The serpent’s question, “Did God really say…?” serves as a deconstructive tactic meant to introduce doubt and alienate humanity from divine instruction. This reflects a larger theme of how society often faces misleading influences that challenge foundational beliefs.
- Specific curses resulting from the Fall, with implications for relationships, work, and human suffering. The phrase “he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16) is explained as a structure of balance, not oppression, in marriage, while the curse on Adam addresses the hardships of labor and the ground’s resistance, symbolizing a life now full of toil and struggle.
Readings
- Genesis 2:4-3:24
- Ezekiel 28:11-26
- Romans 5:12-21
Corresponding reading in the 1-year cycle
Studies
Discernment in a distorted world: Heaven’s guide for telling good from bad (Genesis 2–3; Ezekiel 28; Romans 5)
This study on Genesis 2-3, Ezekiel 28, and Romans 5 unpacks the significance of the Garden of Eden, the Trees of Life and Knowledge of Good and Bad, and how these ancient stories connect to the Messiah’s work of restoring the relationship between God and humanity. And it explores how using godly principles for selecting leadership helps avoid the toxic legacy of corruption for families, congregations and society.
Renewing our taste: Messiah transforms our desires to crave God above all else (Leviticus 11; Genesis 2–3; Acts 10)
The distinction between “clean” and “unclean” animals in Leviticus 11 and Acts 10 echoes the choice between the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad/Evil in Genesis 2–3. By eating from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Eve sought to determine good and bad for themselves, instead of trusting in God’s provision and boundaries.
In this study of Torah reading שְׁמִינִי Shemini (“eighth,” Leviticus 9–11), we’ll see that learning the underlying lesson of distinguishing clean from unclean teaches the commonwealth of Israel to accept God’s designations rather than relying on their own understanding. Those who “eat”…
Tree of Knowledge and Haman’s gallows: Esther shows us how to overcome our desire to replace God
Bible prophecy often talks about widespread persecution against the people of God in the “latter days.” But that seems so far removed from today’s society, where we have global human rights watchdog groups, U.S. First Amendment protections for religious freedom, the International Court of Justice and the United Nations.
This study of the Torah reading וַיִּקְרָא Vayikra (“and He called,” Levicus 1:1–6:7) plus readings for the Sabbath of Remembrance (Deuteronomy 25:17–19; 1Samuel 15:2–34; 1Peter 4:12–5:11) and the Book of Esther reminds us why we keep seeing outbreaks of perplexing violence throughout history, in spite of attempts to legislate away evil.
Seed of hope is planted in the hearts of humanity groaning in a world of hate and violence (Genesis 1–4)
The origins of not just the universe and creation but also hatred and violence in contemporary and ancient society are revealed in the first Torah reading, בְּרֵאשִׁית B’reisheet (“In the beginning,” Genesis 1:1–6:8), reveals. What makes the difference in not going down that dark road is listening to God’s voice in a world filled with confusion and disobedience.
This study explores the nature of sin, highlighting the responsibility individuals bear for their actions and how the Age of Ignorance is over with the revelation of the Creator through Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ). This exploration also touches upon gender and…
Heaven in our likeness: Adam & Eve’s revolutionary views on God (Genesis 2–3; Isaiah 42)
God made mankind as the pinnacle of creation. He created us to aspire to do things beyond our reach, to learn about the world beyond our horizons and to change our environment.
Men and women are pre-programmed to seek out our purpose in relation to each other and to the world at large. This gives us the ability to either accomplish great good in the world or great evil.
And that’s where the lessons come in from Adam and Eve’s choice between the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life, recorded in the Torah reading רֵאשִׁ֖ית Beresheet (“in the beginning,” Gen….
Eden’s two trees: Paths of life and death (Genesis 2–3)
It could be easy to dismiss as myth the Bible account of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2–3). Can god-like wisdom come from eating fruit from a special tree? How could the fate of humanity be tipped toward toil and sorrow just because Adam and Eve selected fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad versus the Tree of Life?
But this passage from the beginning of the Book of Beginning — בְּרֵאשִׁית Beresheet (“in the beginning,” Gen. 1:1–6:8) really directs us to the key question the Creator asked the first couple before and after their fruit selection: Will…
Genesis 1:1–6:8: God commanded, but why should I listen?
If you were to chop off Genesis 1–5, you would not be able to competently answer this about the instructions and teachings of the Father and Messiah: “Why should I do that?” Two-thirds of children from Christian homes will walk away from their faith to varying degrees, and one of the main reasons for that fall off is they are not given honest answers about the authority of the Scriptures.
Genesis 1:1–6:8: The Creator shows why to ‘have no other gods before [Him]’
Some Bible versions translate Gen. 1:1 as “In the beginning, God created…” or “In the beginning of God’s creating the heavens and the earth….” בְּרֵאשִׁית Bereysheet (Genesis) is not a science book. It is not designed to teach you how God created anything. The purpose of the beginning of Bereisheet is to teach us who God is, what He did and how powerful He is, much like Devarim (Deuteronomy) starts with reminding the people who God is and why the Ten Commandments say to have no other gods before Him.
Genesis 2:8-17: The good, the bad and the two trees of Eden
God gives us free will and the option of choosing the good, which leads to righteousness and eternal life, or the bad, which leads to evil and eternal death.
God gave Adam several profound responsibilities: tending the Garden of Eden; naming the animals and choosing between the Tree of Life v. the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad.
Adam made the wrong choice. All of us as Adam’s heirs also have a similar choice to make. God gives each of us us free will to choose the good, which leads to righteousness and eternal life or we can choose the bad…
Genesis 1:26-2:8: The Sacred Pause: Discovering Shabbat as a Divine Invitation
The last two things God created was the Shabbat/Sabbath and the Garden of Eden. God did not create the Shabbat because He was exhausted or tired. Rather, He wanted to set aside a day for mankind to have a special time with Him. Also some are confused about the creation narratives of Gen. 1 and Gen. 2 but a careful reading of each shows us that Gen. 2 focuses specifically on the creation of mankind and the special Garden called Eden that was made by God as mankind’s primary residence.
Genesis 3:14-24 — Curses for Man, Woman & Serpent
The curses on Adam, Eve and the Serpent are well-known but misunderstood. For example, how many snakes eat dirt? Is a husband to be a dictator for his wife? The original language of Gen. 3:14-24 holds the answers. Food for thought from the recorded discussion Why does God ask questions? Why God go through this question and answer session with Adam and Eve? One thing we know about the Creator is that He gets to the core and He does this by asking questions. Is God a dictator over every second of your life? What brought Adam and Eve…
Genesis 3:7–14 — Adam’s & Eve’s eyes opened to their ‘nakedness,’ shame covered by prophetic fig leaves
Why do the fig tree show up in the Genesis 3 account of Adam and Eve’s decision to pursue knowledge of good and evil? What does the fig tree symbolize throughout the Bible? Food for thought from the recorded discussion Looking at certain words helps train our minds to “listen to every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Let’s review what we’ve studied in Genesis 3: Did God make a mistake when he made the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? What did He call that tree and everything else He made? Did God set up Adam…
Genesis 2:25 – 3:1 — ‘naked,’ ‘ashamed,’ ‘serpent’ & ‘subtle’
Unknown to the English reader, the original Hebrew words for Gen. 2:25 and Gen. 3:1 contain a word play with root words translated as “naked,” “ashamed,” “serpent” and “cunning.” Some have made fun of this description as one of the first nudist colony or claimed that the first couple were really clothed with light. Yet there is a vital lesson in the nakedness.
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