Readings: Jan. 3, 2026

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.

Readings

• Exodus 24
• Isaiah 60:17–61:9
• Matthew 26:27–28

Corresponding reading from the 1-year Torah cycle

Insights from this week’s reading

Three dominant threads bind the Exodus, Isaiah and Matthew passages:

1. Covenant ratified in blood
2. Divine glory and mediated access to God
3. Redemptive justice leading to restored community

Together, they move from Sinai’s covenant inauguration, through Isaiah’s prophetic promise of renewal, to Yeshua’s Messianic fulfillment in the New Covenant.

Exodus 24 establishes that covenant requires blood and glory-mediated access.

Isaiah 60–61 promises a renewed covenant marked by justice, peace, and Spirit-anointed proclamation.

Matthew 26 reveals Yeshua consciously identifying His death as the covenant-ratifying act long anticipated.

Yeshua does not replace Sinai — He fulfills it, embodying the covenant faithfulness of God and opening enduring access to His presence.

Exodus 24:1–18: Covenant, Blood & Glory

Israel’s elders “see God” (Exodus 24:10) yet live — an astonishing moment of mediated access, grounded in covenant blood. This sets a template: approach to God requires covenant and sacrifice.

בְּרִית berít — covenant

Exodus 24:8: “הִנֵּה דַם הַבְּרִית” (hinneh dam ha-berít, “Behold the blood of the covenant”)

כָּבוֹד kavód — glory

Exodus 24:16–17: the glory of YHWH covers Sinai like consuming fire.

• Exodus 40:34
• Isaiah 60:1–2

דָּם dām — blood

• Exodus 24:8: covenant blood
• Leviticus 17:11: life is in the blood
• Isaiah 53:12: Servant pours out His life

Septuagint (LXX) renderings:

• בְּרִית berít → διαθήκη diathḗkē
  • Matthew 26:28
  • Luke 22:20
  • 1Corinthians 11:25
  • 2Corinthians 3:6
  • Hebrews 8:6–13
  • Hebrews 9:15–20
  • Hebrews 13:20
• דָּם dām → αἷμα haîma
  • Matthew 26:28
  • Romans 3:25
  • Ephesians 1:7
  • Hebrews 9:22
  • Hebrews 10:19
  • Revelation 5:9
• כָּבוֹד kavód → δόξα dóxa
  • John 1:14
  • Luke 2:9
  • John 17:5
  • Hebrews 1:3
  • Revelation 21:23

Isaiah 60:17–61:9 — Covenant Renewal and Anointed Restoration

Isaiah 61 describes an anointed figure proclaiming good news, release, and restoration. This is not merely political repair—it is covenantal healing, rooted in God’s faithfulness.

שָׁלוֹם shalóm — peace, wholeness

Isaiah 60:17

צֶדֶק tsédeq / צְדָקָה tsedāqáh — righteousness/justice

Isaiah 61:3, 8

מָשִׁיחַ māshíaḥ — anointed one

Isaiah 61:1

בְּרִית עוֹלָם berít ʿolám — everlasting covenant

Isaiah 61:8

LXX renderings:

• שָׁלוֹם shalóm → εἰρήνη eirḗnē
  • Luke 2:14
  • John 14:27
  • Romans 5:1
  • Ephesians 2:14–17
  • Colossians 1:20
• צֶדֶק tsédeq / צְדָקָה tsedāqáh → δικαιοσύνη dikaiosýnē
  • Matthew 5:6
  • Matthew 6:33
  • Romans 1:17
  • 2Corinthians 5:21
  • Philippians 3:9
• מָשַׁח māsháḥ → χρίω (chríō)
  • Luke 4:18 (direct quotation of Isaiah 61 LXX)
  • Acts 4:27
  • Acts 10:38
  • Hebrews 1:9

Matthew 26:27–28: Covenant Fulfillment in Yeshua

αἷμα haîma — blood

διαθήκη diathḗkē — covenant

“τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης”
“This is My blood of the covenant”

ἐκχυννόμενον ekchynnómenon — poured out

ἄφεσις áphesis — forgiveness, release

Other places these terms are used:

• διαθήκη — Luke 22:20; Hebrews 9:15; 1 Corinthians 11:25
• αἷμα — Hebrews 9:22; Revelation 5:9
• ἄφεσις — Luke 4:18; Acts 2:38
• δόξα — John 1:14; Hebrews 1:3

Studies

Biblical justice: What’s meant by ‘foreigner’? (Exodus 22–23)

Jeff December 27, 2025

Upholding honesty in courts and refusing to favor one group over another are among the timeless lessons of honest and truly restorative justice in Exodus 22–23. Discover Heaven’s revelation to ancient Israel about how to approach justice, mercy and fair treatment across every social class, including the system for integrating foreigners into the family of God.

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Set the captives free: The Bible’s real message on slavery & redemption (Exodus 21–22; Jeremiah 34)

Daniel December 20, 2025

The Bible’s laws about slavery can be troubling, but they reveal something deeper: Even within ancient realities, God’s instructions are aimed to bring dignity, protection, and a pathway to freedom for everyone — Israelites and outsiders alike. In Exodus 21-22, Jeremiah 34 and similar passages, we see that Scripture moves toward greater justice, mercy and inclusion. Ultimately, all these hopes find their fulfillment in the Messiah, Who opens the door to true freedom for every person and nation, showing God’s heart to set all captives free and welcome all into His family.

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Torah answers for modern life: A call to justice and mercy (Exodus 21–24)

Jeff February 10, 2024

Despite its ancient origins, the Torah’s guidance on ethics, justice, and compassion remains pertinent today. Faith must be wedded to obedience in applying Heaven’s teachings to contemporary life. This study of Torah reading מִּשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (“judgments,” Exodus 21–24) delves into legal interpretations of the Ten Commandments, stressing fairness and impartiality in legal proceedings. The Torah’s stance on issues like slavery underscores principles of compassion and equitable treatment. Drawing from biblical and historical contexts (Paul’s letter to Philemon, Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) in Matthew 20), we advocate for justice, mercy, and societal transformation guided by Torah’s timeless wisdom.

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Torah reading Mishpatim (משפטים): Exodus 21:1–24:18

Hallel Fellowship February 3, 2024

Yeshua the Mashiakh (Jesus the Christ) told us the two greatest commandments were to love God unreservedly and to love other people unselfishly (Matt. 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–31; Deut. 6:4–6; Lev. 19:18). Learning what the LORD would do in a situation — to walk as He walked (1Jn. 2:6) — is at the heart of this week’s Torah reading Mishpatim (“judgements,” Ex. 21:1-24:18).

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How Heaven leads families from bondage to freedom (Exodus 21; Romans 6; Mark 10)

Daniel February 18, 2023

One of the key lessons from Torah portion מִּשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (Exodus 21–24) and from the Prophets and Gospels is that God and Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) doesn’t separate religious and civil laws. The reasons for that are encapsulated in the Greatest Commandment and the Golden Rule — and in the Torah laws that restricted and ultimately abolished slavery.

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Why Heaven wants us to master servanthood (Exodus 21)

Jeff January 29, 2022

“(T)he Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 NASB). While some see the instructions in the Torah about relationships between masters and slaves as proof of no transcendent Source for the text, others see the context as part of a “poison pill” that Heaven put in the human heart sickness that seeks subjugation of others deemed weaker or powerless. That’s the surprising lesson we learn from the Torah portion מִּשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (Exodus 21–24) and companion passages on the wrong treatment (Jeremiah 34:8–22) and right treatment…

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When God shouted 3 times to fight oppression (Exodus 21–23)

Daniel February 13, 2021

Are “white lies” covered by the Torah prohibition on lying? What does it mean to curse your parents? Does the Torah really contain a time bomb for human slavery? How is that connected to the LORD’s warning about oppression? And was the Angel of the LORD during the Exodus a manifestation of the Messiah? How does this angel compare with Yeshua (Jesus)? These are topics covered in the Torah reading מִשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (“judgments,” Ex. 21:1–24:18).

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How to live with as much grace as the Torah commands (Exodus 21:1–24:18)

Jeff February 22, 2020

Does the Torah promote vigilantism (taking the law into your own hands)? Some years ago, those who were against Torah would ask facetious questions like, “If I see my neighbor mowing the lawn on the Shabbat, do I have permission to kill him?” This ridiculous line of argument even ended up as an episode plot for a popular show (“The Midterms,” The West Wing, October 2000).  Are these judgments ignorant and obsolete? For example, in this section of the Torah refers to daughter literally as their father’s silver. Are daughter just the property of their fathers freely passed around and bought and…

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Exodus 21: God is Enforcer of covenants, Liberator of slaves, Vindicator of the unborn

Daniel February 2, 2019

Parashat Mishpatim is one of the most uncomfortable chapters in the Torah. It has rules about what we would call indentured servitude as well as how to deal with victims of infanticide. However, the overarching theme in today’s Torah study is how God holds us to keep our own covenants, even if they go above and beyond the covenants He has placed on us Himself. 

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Exodus 21–24: 13 hues of the Creator’s justice and mercy

Jeff February 10, 2018

Does the Torah promote vigilantism? Are its instructions backward and obsolete? If not, what do these instructions mean to me today? In the Torah reading מִּשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (“Judgments,” Exodus 21–24), we see an explanation of each of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5). By keeping the words of Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ) in our minds (Matthew 22:36–40) while reading the Torah, we can start to understand how the instructions teach us as much about the character of the Father as they do about Heaven’s goal for our treatment of other people.

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Real meaning of ‘eye for an eye’: God’s lessons in peace-making

Jeff August 2, 2014

Last time, we discussed lashon ha-ra (evil tongue, i.e., gossip, slander and divisiveness) and how it is one of the latter-day plagues among God’s people. In this excursus, we will explore a related principle taught in Torah by Yeshua and His apostles: proportionality. A number of Christians often consider “eye for an eye and tooth for tooth” an example of the “old covenant” not to live by anymore and quote Yeshua to that effect. Rather, we’ll see that “eye for an eye” is a Bible parabolic idiom teaching proportionality. The point of justice is to restore the offender to the community,…

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Exodus 24: Moshe and elders dine with God

Richard May 10, 2014

In Exodus 24, we read that after the revelation of the 10 Commandments, God wanted to reveal more information to Moshe (Moses) but for part of that journey, he brought an entourage. God told Moshe to appear before Him but God also called for Aharon (Aaron), Nadab ben Aharon, Abihu ben Aharon, and 70 of the elders of Israel to meet with Him on the mountain first for a seven-day feast, and they did meet Him. They saw Yeshua (Jesus), the Word, the Logos of the Father. That’s why Abraham as well as Moshe, Aharon, Aharon’s two oldest sons and…

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Exodus 22-23: Judgments teach us about God

Richard May 3, 2014

The judgments that God gave Moshe (Moses) to teach the Israelite people tell us a lot about God’s character and personality. We learn how God sees us as well. It’s a difficult section to go through because these judgements cover so many issues that aren’t related directly to one another but these things have been written down for us to learn. These judgements are written for us so we can avoid incurring them on ourselves.

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Exodus 21: The real lesson about slavery

Richard April 26, 2014

Yeshua told us that the second greatest commandment was to “love your neighbor as yourself.” How do we go from loving our neighbors on a theoretical level to a practical level? Exodus 21 doesn’t just show us how people should treat people. It also teaches us how God treats people. God is going to treat you the same way you treat others. If you abuse people, God will allow abuse to come to you. If you are kind to others, God will be kind to you.

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