Shalom! I am very excited to introduce the Practical Torah podcast where each week we will examine the week’s Torah reading pulling out wisdom and inspiration for everyday life. About a year ago I started to read the weekly Torah portions and do some quick reflections on these passages […]
In this week’s Torah Portion we see that the King of Moab tried about three times to curse the Hebrew people as they Sojourned from Egypt to Canaan. Each time the King tried to get Balaam to curse the Hebrews instead of a curse he heard a blessing. Even Balaam’s […]
🌬This is actually last week’s Torah Portion but it still brings up an interesting paradox we should be mindful to pay attention to. As I was reading the Torah Portion reflection by First Fruits of Zion I read: “Sprinkling of the ashes of the red heifer purified the unclean, but […]
🌬Remember this day. Moses urges the children of Israel to remember their freedom from slavery. Today many are celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and they are remembering but what they don’t know is that the Black Freedom Movement was deeply inspired by the Exodus Story […]
Sometimes Yah delivers and protects us not because of anything we do or anyone we are but because of his covenant with us, our families or our ancestors. Yah also hears our cries even if they are silent. Even when people are doing wrong to you there is a point […]
As you read this week’s Torah portion I want you to think about all the ways in which the Black community has been systematically controlled-slavery, Jim Crow, The New Jim Crow (Mass Incarceration), medical experiments, colonialism, food deserts in our communities, the list goes on and on. Those who oppress […]
When we read this week’s Torah Portion we see a great deal of family dysfunction. We see Rebekah and Isaac each choosing a child to favor, we see the division of brothers and we see Isaac repeating a mistake of his father Abraham. The mistake Isaac repeated can be found […]
How to be chosen by Yah for greatness: Service & Discernment The passage for this week’s Torah portion is called Chayei Sarah-The Life of Sarah by many scholars. In this week’s Torah portion we see the death of a dynasty and the beginning of a new one. Sarah and Abraham […]
Then Yah Opened Her Eyes…. “This is an example of him intentionally not seeing you, of intentionally not seeing a woman.” This quote was from a work conversation but reminded me of this week’s Torah portion. When I was in seminary I learned that African-American women theologians who started Womanist […]