Founder’s Blog
Always Before Me
The Torah is God's foundational revelation to his people. Through it, God opens our eyes not only to how we should behave, but who he is and how to be in relationship with him.
But the blessing found in the Torah does not come automatically. We must immerse ourselves in the Torah's words, occupy ourselves with them, and set them before our eyes and on our lips. We must place the words of the Torah on our hearts and speak of them when we sit in our homes, when we walk along the road, when we lie down, and when we arise (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). God promised Joshua,
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)
The first Psalm echoes these words:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)
The Torah is like medicine: it will help you, but only if you take it consistently! We have to be diligent to set HaShem before us always (Psalm 16:8), through personal devotions, Bible study programs, and interacting with fellow believers.
Think about the time you spend online. The internet is a great tool, and it can be used productively to enhance our own spiritual lives and bring the knowledge of God to others. It also can have a very negative effect, anywhere from merely wasting endless hours to destroying relationships and corrupting our minds.
We have to guard ourselves constantly, surrounding ourselves with goodness and godliness constantly--especially when we are using the computer.
Torah Portions
Back in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, when the Jewish people returned from the exile to Babylon, the community leaders recognized the need for the entire nation to remain in God's word constantly. They instituted a reading program so that people would hear the Torah on a weekly basis.
To this day, Jewish people all over the world follow a weekly Torah reading cycle, keeping in sync with one another and keeping God's word constantly before them.
To help believers in Yeshua the Messiah stay on track with this cycle, we have created a web site called Torah PORTIONS. On this site you can follow, read, and hear the weekly portions from the Torah. It was designed in a way to be friendly and sensitive to people that are not familiar with Messianic or Hebrew terminology.
We have received lots of positive feedback about the "listen" feature, allowing you to hear this week's Scripture text aloud.
On the Torah Portions site, you can also request free Torah PORTIONS reading schedules to be mailed directly to you for distribution among friends, family or your fellowship, congregation or church. You can also download the schedule as a PDF file that you can print or save on your computer.
Torah Portions Facebook Application
Facebook is an online service that many people use to connect with friends. Social networking sites come with benefits and risks, so I do not necessarily recommend that everyone use them. But like the internet as a whole, it can be used in a positive way if we remember to "set HaShem before us always" and to communicate in ways that bring glory and honor to him.
If you are using Facebook already, I want to encourage you to use our Torah Portions Facebook Application. This will place a small box on your profile that displays the current Hebrew date, the weekly scheduled Torah portion, the corresponding reading from the Prophets (the Haftarah), and a section from the Gospels. This will help you keep up to date with the current reading, and will be a non-confrontational way to share your love of the Torah and Yeshua with others. Right now, the Torah Portions application appears on almost 3,000 Facebook profiles.
Spread the light of Torah and Messiah
Please join with us! Here is how you can help:
- Share the Torah Portions web site with your contacts and friends.
- If you have a blog or web site, post a link.
- Order some free printed Torah reading schedules, and pass them out to your friends and congregation members.
- If you are on Facebook, become a fan of First Fruits of Zion, Vine of David, and Torah Portions, and add the Torah Portions application to your profile.
Here are some links to get you started:
Torah PORTIONS Web Site
Follow the weekly reading cycle, read or listen to the Torah portion.
Location: http://www.torahportions.org
Torah PORTIONS Facebook Application
Display the Torah reading on your Facebook profile
Add the application at http://apps.facebook.com/torahportions
Become a fan by visiting http://www.facebook.com/torah.portions
First Fruits of Zion Profile on Facebook
Get news, articles, and updates from First Fruits
http://www.facebook.com/firstfruitsofzion
Vine of David Profile on Facebook
Get news, articles, and updates from Vine of David
http://www.facebook.com/vineofdavid
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Visitor Feedback:
Dear Boaz,
Your "Always before me" blog rings very true for me. I was privileged to have a Godly father-in-law, whom I met when I was just twelve years old. From that early age already he guided me into a pattern of reading the Bible through one and a half times a year. This I have maintained to date (some 47 years later) and my discovery of Torah has simply and greatly enriched this experience. Thank you for your comments.
I am still in a church although I am finding myself increasingly sidelined as I have tried to share the wonders of what I have discovered in Torah.
Every blessing.
Shalom,
Erwin
Erwin M Burmester | October 14, 2009 1:38 AM
@Erwin
Thank you for the nice note. I pray that you will have favor in your Church. The church needs the light of the Torah. There are several HaYesod groups in SA perhaps you can find one in your area or you can host one in your church.
Boaz Michael
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October 14, 2009 5:17 AM