Numbers 31 Have you ever had a mole problem? One that just keeps coming back and ruining your yard or garden? They seem to go away for a while and then come back with vengeance. I recently learned that moles love grub worms and they seek them more than any other food. I personally have […]

Pinchas-Numbers 25 Balaam, the powerful and experienced pagan prophet that was hired by king Balak to curse Israel, failed at every attempt. Every single time he opened his mouth to curse the people of God, nothing but blessings came out. This not only infuriated king Balak, but embarrassed Balaam, as well. It started to become […]

So here is the context: The children of Israel were making their way through the Promised Land and were destroying every army that was in their way. With Yahweh on their side, they could not be beat, no matter what the odds. In Numbers 22, after they had utterly destroyed the Amorites, Balak, the king […]

Have you ever been at a place in your life where you felt like someone was intentionally trying to hurt you, to curse you? Have you ever felt like they were going out of their way to cause you misery? What do we do when we are at a place so low that we just […]

I have some exciting news, everyone! There’s a man here from Puerto Rico – Juan, who looks a bit like a long-haired surfer from California – who’s starting to cross over into the light! He asked me if we could talk last week so we did…for THREE HOURS. He told me all about his life […]

Are you free? Are you sure? People think that because they live in America or aren’t in prison that they’re “free.” So let’s talk about that. Does freedom mean that you can do whatever you want to do? Is a prisoner less free than someone in the “outside world” because he has restrictions placed on […]

The first chapter of this Torah portion (Numbers 19) contains one of the greatest mysteries in all of Judaism: the sacrifice of the Red Heifer. It is unlike any other sacrifice. Even the instructions seem to contradict themselves. But when looked at through the lens of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit), the mystery is […]

Korah’s Rebellion This is no doubt one of the most famous portions of the entire Torah cycle. Let’s dive into the story and see exactly what lessons we can learn from how Korah, Moses, and the congregation acted under such circumstances.

Now it’s time to move on to chapter 15! Shalach: Send Forth-Numbers 15 Read Numbers 15 as an overview. The beginning of chapter 15 seems to be strangely placed. It’s sandwiched between the Twelve spies incident and Korah’s rebellion and is almost a transition between the two, trying to tell us, in a way, what […]

This chapter deals with the power of human emotion and the mistakes men make when they face their fears, then realize their mistakes, then try to fix it themselves without the “right-hand power of God.” The continuation of the story of the twelve spies not only gives us the biblical historical record but tells us […]