Vayeira - Day #1

Vayeira וַיֵּרָא - And He Appeared  

Torah Portion: Genesis 18:1-22:24

Genesis 18:1–14    

18 Hashem appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood near him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant. 4 Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 I will get a piece of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that, you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant.”

They said, “Very well, do as you have said.”

6 Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly prepare three seahs of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.” 7 Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it. 8 He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

9 They asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?”

He said, “There, in the tent.”

10 He said, “I will certainly return to you at about this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

13 Hashem said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child when I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for Hashem? At the set time, I will return to you, when the season comes around, and Sarah will have a son.”   

Today’s Meditation:

Sarah laughed at what Hashem had said about her getting pregnant. This was unbelievable to her. Her laugh was all about disbelief and doubt. Nevertheless, what Hashem said came true. As impossible as it seemed. 

Have you ever asked Hashem for the impossible? Maybe you never laughed at Hashem, but perhaps you laughed at yourself for asking Him. Only to find out He answered your prayer. When that happens to me, it builds my faith to heights I never thought possible. What a faithful and wonderful Elohim we serve.

Today’s Challenge:

Today, I challenge you to pray for the impossible prayer. Look at something in your life that only Hashem could change. Now take a moment to ask Him. Don’t laugh at the doubts you have, but look at how Hashem fulfilled Sarah’s request and believe He can do the same for you. Pray now, do not delay.

Lech-Lecha - Day #1

Lech-Lecha לֶךְ-לְךָ Go Forth Yourself!  

Torah Portion: Genesis 12:1-17:27

Genesis 12:1–13  

12 Now Hashem said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

4 So Abram went, as Hashem had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go into the land of Canaan. They entered into the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, Canaanites were in the land.

7 Hashem appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.”

He built an altar there to Hashem, who had appeared to him. 8 He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There, he built an altar to Hashem and called on Hashem’s name. 9 Abram traveled, still going on toward the South.

10 There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he had come near to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai, his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at. 12 It will happen that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me, but they will save you alive. 13 Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.”

Today’s Meditation:

How strong and confident Abram must have been in hearing the voice of Hashem. Can you imagine uprooting your whole family and taking them to an occupied land? And then to be told that Hashem would make you into a great nation. One would have to be absolutely sure that they were hearing from Hashem. Abram must have been in a very close relationship with Hashem. Could we have the same type of relationship?

Today’s Challenge: 

Do you hear Hashem’s voice clearly in your life? A while ago, my husband and I were introduced to something called “listening prayer.” We would take a prayer request to Hashem by sitting together, getting quiet, asking Him a question, and then listening to what He had to say. It was interesting because we would often hear the same thing from Hashem. 

I challenge you today to do some “listening prayer”. All you have to do is find a quiet space, ask your question or request of Hashem, and quiet yourself to listen to Him. Usually, it’s the first thing that comes into your mind. It could be Scripture, a “yes”, “no”, or “wait”, or it could actually be some unexpected action you are to take. Try it. You will be amazed. You will learn to listen to Hashem just like Abram did.

Noach - Day #1

Noach נֹחַ - Rest  

Torah Portion: Genesis 6:9-11:32

Genesis 6:9-22                

6:9 This is the history of the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with Elohim. 10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth was corrupt before Elohim, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 Elohim saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

13 Elohim said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth. 14 Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch. 15 This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with the lower, second, and third levels. 17 I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. 

They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive. 21 Take with you some of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them.” 22 Thus Noah did. He did all that Elohim commanded him.

Today’s Meditation:

What does it mean to walk with G-d (v. 9)? The word walk in Hebrew is “halakh”. It means to be in a relationship and fellowship. For Noah, in a time when corruption seemed rampant, it meant he was in a good relationship with Hashem. He wasn’t going with the mainstream; he was instead walking closely with Hashem.

I imagine that Noah paid a price to be walking with Hashem. Perhaps some people disliked him for that reason, leading them to shun or mock him. And consider the criticism he faced when he began building a gigantic boat. The laughter and jeers were most likely unbearable. It didn’t matter. He still walked with G-d. Because of his righteousness, Hashem saved him and his family from destruction. And He preserved the lineage for the future Mashiach (Messiah).

Today’s Challenge: 

Today, consider how you can walk a little closer to Hashem. Imagine you are taking Him everywhere you go. Would that make a difference?

B'reisheet - Day #1

B'reisheet בְּרֵאשִׁית - In the Beginning 

Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1-6:8

Day #1: Genesis 1:1-2:3

1:1 In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep, and Elohim’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Elohim said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 Elohim saw the light, and saw that it was good. Elohim divided the light from the darkness. 5 Elohim called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 Elohim said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Elohim made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 Elohim called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9 Elohim said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so. 10 Elohim called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. Elohim saw that it was good. 11 Elohim said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth;” and it was so. 12 The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and Elohim saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14 Elohim said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth;” and it was so. 

16 Elohim made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17 Elohim set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. Elohim saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20 Elohim said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” 21 Elohim created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. Elohim saw that it was good. 22 Elohim blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24 Elohim said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;” and it was so. 25 Elohim made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. Elohim saw that it was good.

26 Elohim said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 Elohim created man in His own image. In Elohim’s image He created him; male and female he created them. 28 Elohim blessed them. Elohim said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Elohim said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food. 30 To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so. 31 Elohim saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

2 The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished. 2 On the seventh day, Elohim finished His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Elohim blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because He rested in it from all His work of creation which He had done.

Today’s Meditation: 

Hashem essentially created the entire universe, including His planet Earth, in six days. The question asked over the centuries is: Why? Some think that He wanted companionship. Others believe He wanted to be worshiped. I speculate He wanted both. 

During His creation, He made stars for us to enjoy in the evening. A beautiful sun to warm us during the day. Water to drink, and plants to eat. And the best part was to be walking with Him, the Almighty, together in a very beautiful place. Worshiping and loving Him every minute of the day. He created a place to love, to expand His love. He created us so that we would reside in His presence and worship Him with all our hearts, souls, and strength. Only we messed it all up. We disobeyed Him, got selfish, and were removed from His presence.

Now we have His planet, but it is bruised and damaged. We can catch glimpses of His presence only through prayer, His Word, and worship. But in the end, we will walk with Him again. And once again, we will be surrounded by His perfect creation. It might be good to start planning for that day.

Today’s Challenge: 

In verse 3, Elohim creates “light”. You may want to think about your own life. Are you a light, a representative of Hashem’s love for others? When people look at you, do they see the Spirit of Hashem lighting up your life? Make some changes today and try to be a mirror of who Hashem can be in one’s life. When people perceive you as religious or spiritual, they tend to watch you more closely. If you make a mistake, admit it and try to rectify the situation. That will teach them about Hashem’s grace and forgiveness, rather than making you appear hypocritical.