B’midbar (Numbers), In the Wilderness Numbers 1:1 – 4:20; Hosea 1:10 – 2:22; I Corinthians 12:12-20 When the going gets tough, who do you count on? Who do you lift up as the authority in your life that can truly make a difference over what oppresses or keeps you down? Who is the one who…
Author: MVF Silverton
Stand and Be Counted Worthy!
Whether you like him or not, admiration for President Trump is growing beyond anyone’s expectations. After experiencing a guilty verdict in a case that could not state a crime or a victim, the public showed President Trump support by sending nearly 59 million dollars in one day to assist his fight against Washington. Was it…
Old and New Store
Bechuqotay (In My Statutes) Vayiqra (Lev) 26:3 – 27:34 YirmeYahu (Jeremiah) 16:19 – 17:14 Yochanan (John) 14:15-21, 15:10-12 Back in the days of horse and buggy, our ancestors went one-stop shopping at the old general stores. Those old superstores had all the necessities of life. No cheap plastic disposable items – goods were durable. Tools…
Compassionate Solutions
Have you ever made a promise, but was then faced with an event that made the vow difficult to achieve? Maybe it involved money. Perhaps it involved property. Maybe, it included labor or an assignment. Yet, for whatever reason, you are just unable to keep it. We seem to hate it when politicians break promises. …
Hearing from the “Head” on the Mount
Behar, On the Mount Vayiqra (Leviticus) 25:1 – 26:2 YirmeYahu (Jeremiah) 32:6-27 Luke 4:16-21 Snow-covered mountain peaks are beautiful to behold on a sunny spring day in the Cascades. Although the Santiam Canyon is free of snow in the lowlands, the mountain tops are still covered in pure white snow. Spring is here – an exhilarating time to…
How Can I Become Holy?
Kedoshim or holy ones, is the title of this week’s parsha. For many, this concept is hard to attain. We try our best to be holy, but yet find ourselves lacking due to our sinful human nature and DNA. So why even try to be holy? The obvious response to this question is very practical. For instance,…
True Holy Ones
Kedoshim, Holy Ones Vayiqra (Lev) 19:1 – 20:27 Amos 9:7-15; Ezekiel 20:2-20 Matthew 5:33-48, 15:1-11; Luke 10:25-39; I Peter 1:13-25 The pagan roots of Christianity and the evil origins of rabbinic Judaism are subjects many well-intended theologians and intellectuals like to study. Why? Is it to expose where others may be falling short in the…
Covering Nakedness
Acharei Mot, After the Death Vayiqra (Leviticus) 16:1 – 18:30 Ezekiel 22:1-19 Romans 3:19-28; 9:30 – 10:13 Galatians 3:10-14 The Torah forbids the uncovering of nakedness outside of the undefiled marriage bed. Yet where in the world do people uncover nakedness more than any other? 43% of all internet users view pornographic material online 75%…
Are We in Need or What?
The instructions found in this week’s Torah study, including Ezekiel, and portions from Romans, Hebrews, and Galatians are rich in their instruction and understanding. At first glance, I was thinking, “Where can we possibly begin?” One would need a few months to dig deep into Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. But in their meaning of “after…
Matza Musings
Exodus 33:12 – 34:26; Numbers 28:16-31 Ezekiel 36:37 – 37:14 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 Whenever you have kept the festival of unleavened bread or are now keeping it, what did you think of when you ate matzah? What does it mean to digest, to internalize unleavened bread? As the tzi-tzi reminds us to obey the commandments…