In today’s Torah reading we are told about the 1/2 shekel that every male of fighting age had to pay in order to ransom their souls. God then gives instructions regarding the laver (Mikvah), preparing the incense, and assigning Bezalel and Oholiab over the manufacturing of all the articles needed
I just spent about an hour writing a message about fear and how it can be used to control us. If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video. When I couldn’t think of how to conclude the message I realized that I couldn’t stop
Do you know how a car engine works? Can you explain how television works? What about being able to teach someone about how water on the earth becomes rain from the sky? I’ll bet almost everyone reading this message, right now, can do all of these things. But, although you
God continues to give Moses detailed instructions for the building of the Tabernacle and all that is involved with it. In this reading, we are told how to manufacture the priestly robes, including the breastplate of judgment, the procedure for anointing the priests, and the construction of the altar. If
How often do you pray? Me? I pray daily, usually (from a habit of doing so when I was still working) every time I get in my car or ride my bike. And when I pray, as I suspect you all do, I ask God to do things for me.
I was going to do a message this morning about the truth and how we can’t always trust what is truth and what is not, and I didn’t really feel happy with it. I thought the title was worthwhile but as I wrote, it just didn’t “feel” right. If you
Except for the chapters devoted to the sin of the Golden Calf, from here until the end of this book of the Torah, we are given a detailed account of the manufacturing of the Tabernacle. These chapters outline the instructions from God for building the Ark of the Covenant, the
When Shaul (that nice Jewish tentmaker from Tarsus) wrote his letter to the congregation of Believers in Ephesus, he told them that they should never sin in their anger (Ephesians 4:26), which means it is not a sin to be angry, but when we are angry we must not sin.
This parashah deals with the laws regarding civil and capital punishment, witchcraft, sexually perverse activities, financial dealings, perjury, Kashrut (kosher), humane treatment of prisoners and enemies, about the Holy Days and the Shabbat. There is a sacrifice and Moses sprinkles the people with the blood of that sacrifice to establish