WHAT IS TORAH?

The word Torah is taken from the root Hebrew word “yarah” meaning “to shoot an arrow” or “to hit the mark.”  Properly used, the word “torah” refers to, “[the] teachings.”  In a broad sense, Torah is the revelation of the Lord God (HaShem) to His people.  Within this framework, and depending on the context, the term “Torah” can mean: (1) The five books of Moshe; (2) that, plus the Prophets and the Writings; (3) that, plus the Oral Torah, which includes the Talmud and later legal writings; (4) that, plus all religious teaching from the rabbis, including ethical and rabbinical teaching materials; or (5) all of the above as understood and interpreted in light of what Yeshua the Messiah and the rest of the New Covenant Scriptures have said about it.  For the most part, we will be using definitions number (1), (2), and (5).

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The division of the Scriptures into chapters was done by non-Jews in the thirteenth century. They did so to facilitate their bible study, to make it easier to recall the exact source for any given verse.

Moses established the custom to publicly read from the Torah scroll every Shabbat—although the entire Torah was not necessarily completed in a yearly cycle.

The custom to complete the weekly public reading of the Torah every year (on the holiday of Simchat Torah) finds its root in Babylon of the Talmudic Era. The Torah was then divided into fifty-four sections to allow for the completion of a yearly cycle with the reading of one Parshah per week.

Incidentally, the word "parshah" can also refer to a grouping of words or verses in the Torah. These (portions) parshiyot – which the dividers of the Torah into chapters barely took into consideration – can be as brief as two words, or as long as an entire weekly Torah reading. These parshiyot are separated in the Torah Scroll by a blank space. There is a total of 669 such parshiyot in the Five Books of Moses.)

TORAH READINGS

Immediately following this brief introduction, you will find Weekly Torah Portions and a daily breakdown for the weekly readings. You'll find a new week posted below, typically on Saturday evenings, which is the beginning of our week as prescribed by the instructions of Torah.

All the Best,

Chukat means “decree.”  After forty years of journeying through the desert, the Children of Israel arrived at the wilderness of Zin and stopped at a location called Kadesh.  It was there that Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, died and was buried.  We are then told that the people had no water, and they assembled against Moses and Aaron.

Jewish tradition explains that in Miriam’s merit, there was a well of water, called “Miriam’s Well,” which miraculously provided water throughout their forty years of wandering in the desert.  After her death, the water ceased, and the people began to complain bitterly.

God told Moses to take the staff and assemble the people together by a certain rock which Moses was to speak to so that it would bring forth water.  Instead, he took the staff and struck the rock in anger.  Why didn’t Moses do what God told him to do?



Moses was bereaved, overcome with emotions.  His sister had just died, and he was in a state of grief.  Miriam was the one who watched over him when he was in the Nile River, making sure he would be safe.  Once her baby brother was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, she boldly offered to find a Jewish woman to nurse him, so that he could be nursed by his own mother.  She was a protective sister.  She was a fundamental and beloved part of Moses’ life.

Greatly grieved by his sister’s death, Moses became frustrated because of the (once again) complaining Israelites.  Moses, who was normally patient, lost control, became short on patience, and hit the rock in anger.

Between a Rock and a Hard Spot

What do you do when you get frustrated and angry?  A difficult situation at work, worry over finances, tension in your marriage, or the loss of a loved one are just a few examples of situations in our lives that can lead to grief, anger, or frustration.  Even though situations such as these may feel overwhelming and unbearable, it is better to address these issues themselves before you “strike the rock,” so to speak—before you lose control and end up hurting yourself and others around you.

At the moment Moses was facing the rock, he struck it in frustration instead of speaking to it as God had told him to.  We all have a “rock” to face.  At the moment you stand before that rock, how do you react?  Some of us turn to hitting instead of speaking. Some of us speak before we listen.  Some of us remain silent when we should be speaking.  Some of us lash out in grievous anger.

Like Moses, we all make mistakes.  But when we do, we should learn from them, continue to move forward, learn to react differently, and try to be our best.

The question is: The next time you are faced with your rock, how can you react differently?

• Speak kindly and with clarity rather than lashing out with angry words.
• Listen twice as much as you talk.  If you listen before you speak, you’re less likely to say or do something that you’ll regret later on.
• Think more positively about the situation.  There is power in positive thought.
• Surround yourself with positive people.  Right relationships can be life-changing.  These are the people in your life who can help you through your grief, anger, worries, or frustration.
• Pray for wisdom.

Begin making these daily habits that will prepare you for success the next time you face that rock.