redemption

Remembrance and Redemption

Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

As one exits the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, the final site is a sign written in Hebrew and in English. It is a profound quote from the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidic Judaism in the eighteenth century: 

Forgetfulness leads to exile, while remembrance is the secret of redemption.

Radical New Beginnings

Parashat Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16)

When the God of the Universe gives someone a new beginning, it is a radical one. Our prime example is the Children of Israel in our current Torah portion. He dramatically redeems them from Pharaoh and the house of bondage and transforms them from a horde of slaves into a holy nation of purpose. And to seal this transformation He gave the people He redeemed a new calendar to organize their lives by:

Va'era - Holding on to the Promises

Our parashah begins with God telling Moshe, “Ani Hashem” (6:2). Isn’t this obvious? Hasn’t He already revealed this to Moshe at the burning bush? Why does He tell Moshe this obvious fact here, at the beginning of our portion? Why does He repeat this phrase 16 more times throughout the book of Shemot? Why does He emphasize this fact by using this phrase 49 times in the book of Vayikra, 5 times in the book of Bamidbar, and 2 more times in the book of Devarim? Does Moshe not remember who this Deity is? Does he forget easily and need constant reminding?

Behar / Bechukotai (Leviticus 25:1-27:34)

Join with me as we study the last two parashot of the book of Leviticus, parashot Behar / Bechukotai (Leviticus 25:1-27:34). I was invited to speak at a Messianic congregation this past weekend and presented a message of love, redemption, unity and the restoration of the Kingdom I see woven into the text of these two parashot. I pull not only from the text of our Torah portions, but from the Apostolic Scriptures, the Mishnah and Midrash to weave a pattern of restoration that can only come when we take our responsibilities seriously.

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