This week our Torah portion focuses on the story of the Golden Calf. To get the most out of this narrative, we must go back to Exodus 24 and read about the great covenantal ceremony when the whole nation spoke with one voice and promised to obey God.

The sense of smell is powerful. It can serve as a warning when you smell dangerous odors. On the other hand, our sense of smell brings back memories like grandma’s kitchen.

This week our Torah portion describes the way of life that God gave to Israel. The laws reflect the character of God.

This week, our Torah portion describes the escape from Egypt to the Red Sea and the beginning of the wilderness wanderings on the way to Sinai. The people do not understand the big picture.

I once saw a television advertisement for a smartphone company in which a child is given a large lollipop. Then another child standing nearby receives a much smaller lollipop.

It goes without saying that everything that happens in the world is somehow connected to God. Some things happen because humankind is disobedient and rebellious. Sometimes things happen because we live in a fallen world and there is no one to blame.

This week’s Torah portion brings us to the story of Joseph and his brothers. This is the longest story in the book of Genesis. It is the climax of the narrative of the formation of the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Life is hard. How is that for an obvious statement! We all face difficulties of some kind.

Jacob “went out” (Gen. 28:10) not in confidence but in fear—running from Esau, from rejection, from his past, and from the belief that he wasn’t worthy of God’s blessing.

Everyone knows that the Patriarchs of Israel are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We read about them in the Scriptures and especially in the prayers of the Jewish people.

This week’s Torah portion brings us to a transition. Abraham and Sarah die, and we read about the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael. We also read the beginning of the story of Jacob. In the Jewish world we like to say dor l’dor (i.e., from generation to generation).

Everyone likes to be “in the know.” Has anyone ever shared information with you that makes you feel special because you have been entrusted with knowledge of a situation that only a few people have been made aware of?

The first words of the Torah portion and the first words that God speaks to Abraham is “Go!” Literally the text says” “Go, you go!” It reminds me of the first words of Yeshua to some of his disciples.

There are several themes that bind the Torah together like a thread through the text. Holiness and covenant relationship are two such themes. However, one theme that we do not always think about is the theme of blessing.

This week our Torah portion tells the story of creation and brings us all the way to Noah. This early history of humanity helps us understand why the world is so chaotic and dark.

We are one week away from Rosh Hashanah. It is the season of repentance and restoration. It’s a time when we evaluate our lives and our relationship with God.

Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going with my life? Is God with me or against me? I remember all too well the years when those pressing questions had no answer.

Every year when we come to the beginning of Deuteronomy, we are also close to a Jewish observance called Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av).

This week's Torah portion brings us to the end of Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers.  The children of Israel are preparing to enter the land as Moses recounts the history of the wilderness wanderings and the distribution of land.  In chapter 32, the tribes of Reuben and Gad ask Moses if they could settle on the east side of the Jordan without entering the land.

This week’s Torah portion is Pinchas (פִינְחָס). It covers Adonai’s covenant of shalom with Pinchas and his descendants, another census before entering the promised land, appointing Joshua as Moshe’s successor, Halakha (i.e., the way to walk) regarding inheritance, and a compiled check list for appointed sacrifices.