Devarim - Day #1

Devarim דְּבָרִים - Words  

Torah Portion: Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22

Deuteronomy 1:1–10

1:1 These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suf, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. 3 In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that Hashem had given him in commandment to them, 4 after he had struck Sihon the king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei. 5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to declare this law, saying, 6 “Hashem our Elohim spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘You have lived long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near there: in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the South, by the seashore, in the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 Behold, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which Hashem swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give to them and to their offspring after them.’”

9 I spoke to you at that time, saying, “I am not able to bear you myself alone. 10 Hashem your Elohim has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the sky for multitude.

Today’s Meditation:

Here is Moses at the end of a 40-year incredible, miraculous journey to the Promised Land. He is talking to a new generation. They are the second generation who were delivered from Egypt. He reiterates the Law and its commandments and looks forward to this generation making a covenant with Hashem. He promised he would give his descendants the Promised Land, Israel. Now, hundreds of years later, they are about to see that promise fulfilled. What faith the people of Elohim must have had waiting so long for this incredible promise to happen. Do we even have a tiny bit of that kind of faith?

Today’s Challenge:

Can you think of something going on in your life, either now or in the past, that required a lot of faith? How did you do during the waiting time? Was it difficult, or did you rest in peace knowing Hashem would fulfill His promise to you? Or did you get impatient and try to make things happen yourself? This past year, I have had to wait on Hashem to move in many different ways. I knew in my heart He would carry things out to completion, but I had to learn patience. Yes, I got impatient and, at times, wondered if I really heard His voice. But I can testify He has shown His hand to me several times this year, even in miraculous ways. He has been faithful, even when I was not. If you are waiting for something, try to be patient. Try to just thank Hashem for all He is doing and ask Him to help you to wait. He will, and it will be worth it.

Matot-Masei - Day #1

Matot-Masei  

Torah Portion: Numbers 30:2-36:13

Numbers 30:2-31:12 

30:2 When a man vows a vow to Hashem, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

3 “Also, when a woman vows a vow to Hashem and binds herself by a pledge, being in her father’s house, in her youth, 4 and her father hears her vow and her pledge with which she has bound her soul, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge with which she has bound her soul shall stand. 5 But if her father forbids her in the day that he hears, none of her vows or of her pledges with which she has bound her soul, shall stand. Hashem will forgive her because her father has forbidden her.

6 “If she has a husband, while her vows are on her, or the rash utterance of her lips with which she has bound her soul, 7 and her husband hears it, and says nothing to her in the day that he hears it; then her vows shall stand, and her pledges with which she has bound her soul shall stand. 8 But if her husband forbids her in the day that he hears it, then he makes void her vow which is on her and the rash utterance of her lips, with which she has bound her soul. Hashem will forgive her.

9 “But the vow of a widow, or of her who is divorced, everything with which she has bound her soul shall stand against her.

10 “If she vowed in her husband’s house or bound her soul by a bond with an oath, 11 and her husband heard it, and held his peace at her and didn’t disallow her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge with which she bound her soul shall stand. 12 But if her husband made them null and void in the day that he heard them, then whatever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand. Her husband has made them void. Hashem will forgive her. 13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. 14 But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her pledges which are on her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her in the day that he heard them. 15 But if he makes them null and void after he has heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity.”

16 These are the statutes which Hashem commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, being in her youth, in her father’s house.

31:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward, you shall be gathered to your people.”

3 Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Hashem’s vengeance on Midian. 4 You shall send one thousand out of every tribe, throughout all the tribes of Israel, to the war.” 5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. 6 Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7 They fought against Midian, as Hashem commanded Moses. They killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, with the sword. 9 The children of Israel took the women of Midian captive with their little ones; and all their livestock, all their flocks, and all their goods, they took as plunder. 10 All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burned with fire. 11 They took all the captives, and all the plunder, both of man and of animal. 12 They brought the captives with the prey and the plunder to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

Today’s Meditation:

Today, we learn about vows to Hashem and the husband's/father's role in all of this. Vows are very sacred to Hashem. We are not to say them without first considering their importance. Hashem, with all His grace and mercy, has made some considerations for women who make rash vows without thinking. A husband can actually release his wife from a vow, as can a father for a daughter. This shows Hashem's fairness and equity. But it also shows the seriousness of what words come out of our mouths. Let us be super careful about what we promise to others and what we vow to Hashem. Follow through on what you say. Your word stands before Hashem. 

Today’s Challenge:

A great war is fought between the Midianites and the Israelites. These are difficult passages to read. But we must remember this. The Midianites had enticed Israel to sin. Yes, Hashem’s people fell into the sin and could have resisted. But they did not. Hashem inflicted a plague on His people. Now, there must be punishment for the people who did this to Israel. Sin does not go forward without consequence. We might think we are getting away with something when we sin, but this is never the case. What we do affects our lives, other people’s lives, and our relationship with Hashem. Remember this the next time you are tempted to do something wrong or disobey Hashem. Try to repent quickly and make things right by making restitution. There will be consequences, but most likely not as severe as if you did not repent. As we know, sin separates us from Hashem. We do not want this, and neither does He. Let’s be careful about what we do and say.

Pinchas - Day #1

Pinchas פִּינְחָס - Phinehas  

Torah Portion: Numbers 25:10-30:1

Numbers 25:10–26:4

25:10 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the children of Israel in My jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. 13 It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his Elohim, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’”

14 Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a father’s house among the Simeonites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur. He was the head of the people of a father’s house in Midian.

16 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites, and strike them; 18 for they harassed you with their wiles, wherein they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the incident regarding Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.”

26:1 After the plague, Hashem spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go out to war in Israel.” 3 Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 4 “Take a census, from twenty years old and upward, as Hashem commanded Moses and the children of Israel.”

These are those who came out of the land of Egypt.

Today’s Meditation:

In verse 11, we read, “He was jealous with My jealousy”. Can you imagine having the same passion and jealousy that Hashem has for certain issues in life? Maybe that is something we should pray for. That our passions for righteousness would be the same as Hashem’s. We would become world changers if this were true. Maybe take a minute to think about an injustice that comes to mind. Now pray and ask Hashem how you can change and correct it. Then do it. Hashem will give you the direction and strength. And the world will be a better place because of it.

Today’s Challenge:

In verse 12, Hashem tells Moses that He is giving Phinehas “My covenant of peace, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.” A covenant of peace. Doesn’t that sound so wonderful? To me, it says that Hashem will be at peace with Phinehas for all the days of his life. And that He will bring peace into his life. Isn’t peace what we strive for every day? 

When we are discontent or sad, we search for peace. We pray for peace. My challenge to you today is to seek Hashem and ask Him if He would be willing to give you a covenant of peace. Or ask Him what you would have to do to be given this covenant. What injustice would you need to fight for? It’s interesting that Hashem is so interested in securing righteousness in our world that He would reward us with peace. It is a natural reward, don’t you think?

Chukat-Balak - Day #1

Chukat-Balak Statute/Balak — חֻקַּת־בָּלָק  

Torah Portion: Numbers 19:1-25:9

Numbers 19:1 - 20:6

19:1 Hashem spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law which Hashem has commanded. Tell the children of Israel to bring you a red heifer without spot, in which is no defect, and which was never yoked. 3 You shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her outside of the camp, and one shall kill her before his face. 4 Eleazar the priest shall take some of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle her blood toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times. 5 One shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her meat, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn. 6 The priest shall take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the middle of the burning of the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the evening. 8 He who burns her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the evening.

9 “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up outside of the camp in a clean place; and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for use in water for cleansing impurity. It is a sin offering. 10 He who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. It shall be to the children of Israel, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them, for a statute forever.

11 “He who touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall purify himself with water on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean; but if he doesn’t purify himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. 13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of a man who has died, and doesn’t purify himself, defiles Hashem’s tabernacle; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is yet on him.

14 “This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent, and everyone who is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. 15 Every open vessel, which has no covering bound on it, is unclean.

16 “Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

17 “For the unclean, they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin offering; and running water shall be poured on them in a vessel. 18 A clean person shall take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, and on him who touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave. 19 The clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day. On the seventh day, he shall purify him. He shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening. 20 But the man who shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of Hashem. The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him. He is unclean. 21 It shall be a perpetual statute to them. He who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening.

22 “Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the soul that touches it shall be unclean until evening.”

20:1 The children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month. The people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there. 2 There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 The people quarreled with Moses, and spoke, saying, “We wish that we had died when our brothers died before Hashem! 4 Why have you brought Hashem’s assembly into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals? 5 Why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to this evil place? It is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.”

6 Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces. Hashem’s glory appeared to them.

Today’s Meditation:

The red heifer was sacrificed so that they would have the ashes for those who touched a dead body and wanted to enter the Tabernacle. They were to be cleansed for impurity. This is one of those requests from Hashem that we don’t really understand, but we are to obey. In Israel today, the Temple Institute has found a red heifer that meets Torah requirements, I believe. There are articles you can read to see if the ashes have been prepared. The point is that when the next Temple is built, the ashes of the red heifer will have to be available to cleanse the priests before they serve Hashem in the Temple. It is unknown how this will all come about, but have faith in Hashem that it will. Remember to daily pray for the Mashiach to return to the Temple in Jerusalem to rule and reign forever.

Today’s Challenge:

Touching a corpse makes you unclean. And Hashem does not permit people who are unclean to come into the Tabernacle, into His presence. Doesn’t that make you ponder the holiness of Hashem? He represents life, and death can not come near Him. Without a Temple today, we come before Hashem in prayer and worship, and we too must be clean. 

How is that possible? It seems like our only way is to repent and ask forgiveness for our sins. We must strive to live a holy life and keep Hashem close in our hearts. Do that today. Repent and ask Hashem to forgive you for all that you have done that disobeys Him and His Torah. Try to live in His light, and not in darkness. We must do our best without a Temple, without a red heifer, without His glory shining over the Tabernacle, but continue seeking His glory that is within our hearts.

Korach - Day #1

Korach קֹרַח - Korach  

Torah Portion: Numbers 16:1-18:32

Numbers 16:1–13

16:1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took some men. 2 They rose up before Moses, with some of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown. 3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much on yourself, since all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and Hashem is among them! Why do you lift yourselves up above Hashem’s assembly?”

4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face. 5 He said to Korah and to all his company, “In the morning, Hashem will show who are His, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. Even him whom He shall choose, He will cause to come near to Him. 6 Do this: have Korah and all his company take censers, 7 put fire in them, and put incense on them before Hashem tomorrow. It shall be that the man whom Hashem chooses, he shall be holy. You have gone too far, you sons of Levi!”

8 Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi! 9 Is it a small thing to you that the Elohim of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of Hashem’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; 10 and that He has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? Do you seek the priesthood also? 11 Therefore, you and all your company have gathered together against Hashem! What is Aaron that you complain against him?”

12 Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, “We won’t come up! 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but you must also make yourself a prince over us?

Today’s Meditation: 

Korah contends that everyone is holy and near to Hashem—why was Moses so special? I suppose man has had the problem of recognizing authority for centuries and centuries. I think we all want to be in charge at some point in our lives. But here is what is essential. Hashem places those in authority over us. He rules the earth, and He chooses who will help Him to carry out His orders. In this special moment in Hashem’s history, He chooses Moses and Aaron. These men, including Korath, are not happy with this. They rebel. And Hashem separates and punishes them immediately. Lesson learned. The only way to live a prosperous and peaceful life is to follow Hashem and His commandments. Love Him and love others. If you challenge that, well, your future may be bleak.

Today’s Challenge:

It is so interesting to me that Moses is so very close to Hashem that when he hears of Korah’s rebellion, he tells them what is going to happen next. He explains that now Hashem will show “who are His and who are holy” (verse 5)—end of debate. The Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will now settle things. At this point, you would think that Korah and the leaders would fall on their faces and beg forgiveness. Only they persist in proving a point. A point that leads them to destruction. Today, I suggest you take a look at your own life. Are you rebelling against some authority in your life? Maybe you feel justified, but go to Hashem and let Him fight your battle. Pray and seek His face for a solution rather than fighting for something on your own. Granted, sometimes Hashem will direct us to seek justice in a situation, but many times He does not. Stand back and allow Hashem to do what is right. Repent and ask forgiveness for any havoc you have created. Today is a new day. Make things right.

Shelach - Day #1

Shelach שְׁלַy to ח-לְךָ - Send For Yourself  

Torah Portion: Numbers 13:1-15:41

Numbers 13:1–20

13:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them.”

3 Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Hashem. All of them were men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 These were their names:

Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.

7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.

8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.

9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

11 Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.

13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur, the son of Michael.

14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea, the son of Nun, Joshua. 17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill country. 18 See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19 and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; 20 and what the land is, whether it is fertile or poor, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.

Today's Meditation:

This was a simple request. Go and check out the land. This is the land the people of Hashem had waited for centuries to acquire. Now was the time. But it had to be looked at first, so they knew what to expect. Except there is a turn of events. Something totally unexpected happens. The tribal heads go, and they get scared. The land, the people living there, and its protection are too much. It must have seemed impossible, because 10 of the leaders came back with a bad report. This event will change everything for them, but they don’t know it yet. A simple command: go and spy out the land. Only it becomes very, very complicated. We will shortly see.

Today’s Challenge:

Have you made a simple request of yourself into something complicated? Has someone asked you to do something, and you make it into something more? Maybe, just maybe, we can learn from today’s reading. Let’s try to keep things simple. Let’s follow the request and not make it more than it is. For instance, if you are looking for a new home. And your spouse wants something small and easy to take care of. But you start looking at big luxurious homes. You really haven’t listened to his/her desires. And now you have made it complicated. Suppose your boss tells you to do a report. Do it the way he/she asked you. Try to do the good things in your life in a simple, easy way. The world is complex enough as it is.

Beha'alotcha - Day #1

Beha’alotcha בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ - In Your Uplifting  

Torah Portion: Numbers 8:1-12:16

Numbers 8:1–14

8:1 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron, and tell him, ‘When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lamp stand.’”

3 Aaron did so. He lit its lamps to light the area in front of the lamp stand, as Hashem commanded Moses. 4 This was the workmanship of the lamp stand, beaten work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was beaten work. He made the lampstand according to the pattern which Hashem had shown Moses.

5 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 You shall do this to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves. 8 Then let them take a young bull and its meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and another young bull you shall take for a sin offering. 9 You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel. 10 You shall present the Levites before Hashem. The children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites, 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before Hashem for a wave offering on behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Hashem.

12 “The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to Hashem, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 You shall set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Hashem. 14 Thus, you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.

Today’s Meditation:

Today, we are reading about the Levites' dedication to Temple service. What an incredible privilege this would be for them. Hashem made sure to get the rest of the people involved in the “laying on of hands”. The position of caring for the Temple was probably the highest position that you could serve Hashem. However, with all of Hashem’s mercy and grace, He still saw all His people as equal. Maybe people's service was different, but all hearts were viewed the same way. Just as He views our hearts, however, we must be set apart from the rest of the world so that we can be His special people also.

Today’s Challenge:

In verse 14, we read that “the Levites are Mine”. Of course, we are all His. But this special group of people was dedicated to a very special service unto Hashem. I would like us all to think about what special service we could do for Hashem today. We don’t have a Temple, and we are not Levites (maybe some of us are and don’t know it), so what can we do for Him today? Open up your eyes and look around. Perhaps a lady at the grocery store needs some help. Or someone is stopped at the side of the road trying to change a flat. Or your son or daughter needs help with homework. Look and see how you can serve Hashem today. And do it.