5 Minute Torah Podcast

Gentiles and Torah… That’s a topic that is guaranteed to either find your new best friend or start a fight. Are Gentiles obligated to the Torah in the same way as Jews or is there a difference in how we should live out the commandments? Are we only bound to the Noahide Laws or are those even a thing? If you’re curious about these questions and more related to this topic, stick with me for this 5 Minute Torah.

In the book of Genesis, God told Abraham to circumcise all of the males in his household. This is a physical circumcision, a perpetual sign of God’s covenant with the family of Abraham from generation to generation. However, in this week’s Torah portion, God gives us another command regarding a second circumcision. Wait? A double-circumcision? Isn’t this going a little too far, or am I misunderstanding something? Let’s take a look at this together in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

How would it make you feel if you saw someone leading a blind person off a cliff? What if you watched one of your friends buying a worthless rustbucket of a car for an outlandish price, knowing that the seller was completely ripping him off? It’s one thing for people to make bad decisions. It’s another thing, however, for someone to intentionally use their influence to lead someone into making a poor decision that costs them dearly. But what can you do about it? Is there anything you can do about it? Let’s take a look at this idea together in this week's 5 Minute Torah.

Have you ever lost something important? Maybe a wallet, or a set of keys, or maybe even a wedding ring? Many times you don’t even realize it’s gone until it’s too late. But when you realize it’s missing, your heart sinks and you begin a desperate search to find it. How would you feel if you had just left the grocery store and were about to get into your car when someone shouted at you, “Hey! you dropped your wallet!”? That would be a huge blessing. But did you know that you’ve found something that someone else has lost? And you need to get their attention and let them know they lost it so that you can return it. Not sure what I mean? Let’s take a look in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

This week’s Torah portion says that an animal offering with a single blemish is considered an “abomination.” Is the God of the Old Testament so caught up in things being perfect that He can’t accept something simply because it comes from the heart? Why does the Torah seem to be so concerned over these petty matters? If you’d like an honest answer to these questions, then stick around for this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

We’ve all seen televangelists captivate the world with apparently supernatural abilities. Signs & wonders, miraculous healings or physical manifestations that defy human reasoning. Prophetic utterances that come to pass just as they were spoken. Aren’t all of these signs of a true prophet? Maybe… or maybe not. Let’s take a look at this concept together in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

Righteousness & wickedness: two terms that seem to be cut & dry. But are they really? Is each person held to the exact same standard? Is the standard, “One Law For All?” It would seem that way, but maybe they aren’t as black and white as they appear? Does that sound… blasphemous? Then you might want to hang around and see what’s in store, in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

Quite often I hear people say, “It’s not about what we do because God looks at the heart.” While this is true to an extent, are our actions somehow separate from our hearts? Or … do they reflect what’s in our hearts? Not sure what I mean? Let’s explore this idea together in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

Judaism claims to have an oral tradition that dates all the way back to Sinai. It includes teachings, interpretations, & rulings on every aspect of Torah. But did this come from Sinai or is it a much later addition invented by the rabbis after the destruction of the Temple? I’m glad you asked, because this is our topic in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

The death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua is central to our faith. His death is seen as the ultimate sacrifice that would forever replace the Levitical sacrificial system of the Temple. But this is a huge problem. According to the passages in the Torah that spell out the parameters of a sacrifice, Yeshua—or any other person for that matter—doesn’t fit the bill. So, if that’s the case how do we benefit from Yeshua’s death? I think we can find the answer in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

What are you willing to trade for peace? What lengths are you willing to go to in order to have peace? What are you willing to sacrifice for peace? Some are willing to trade land for peace. Some are willing to stand and fight a corrupt legal system for peace. Others are willing to sacrifice their lives so that their children and grandchildren will have peace. What was the high price Israel had to pay for the promise of peace? Let’s find out in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

If you could be a superhero, who would it be? Would it be Superman, Batman, Captain America, Spiderman? What if you could choose your own superpower? What would it be? Super strength? Invisibility? The ability to fly? Breathing underwater? While all of those are really cool and would be absolutely amazing, we all already have a superpower that was given to us at birth. But most of us never learn to hone that power so that we can benefit from it. What superpower do you and both I share? Let’s find out in this week’s 5 Minute Torah?

Do you want to grow in your understanding of Jesus? What about being able to better understand Paul? Or even the Torah? Or the Bible in general? I’m about to introduce you to five books that have had a significant impact in my life and hopefully will impact yours as well. Each episode in this series is created to help people like you who may be trying to find resources that will help you grow in your understanding of Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah of Israel, as well as a Jewish understanding of the Torah and the Apostolic Scriptures. I want to help guide you in your journey by exposing you to some of the resources that were valuable for me in my own journey. Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/CXndsyKn6Ak Links to the books mentioned in this video: A Code of Jewish Ethics, Volume 1 https://amzn.to/3NbJH21 A Code of Jewish Ethics, Volume 2 https://amzn.to/3psiEWY A Lesson A Day https://amzn.to/3NkbCvq First Hebrew Primer, Third Edition https://amzn.to/3DrNcfg The Sabbath https://amzn.to/3Cucl8x The Myst

“Follow your heart!” I’m sure you’ve heard this expression your entire life and I would venture to say that you’ve probably used it yourself a time or two. You’ll find it in almost every book and hear it in almost every movie. It’s a common expression that people use to say, “Don’t let anything hold you back. Just go with your gut and follow your dreams.” But is this the advice we need to heed or to give to others? I think we can find the answer to that question in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

Humans are unique among all of the animals on earth in that we are the only living creatures that have a soul—the godly part of us that can be enticed through our senses, yet have the will to walk away if we perceive there is something better for us than what our flesh craves. We are a product of both heaven and earth, and each moment of each day we choose which voice we listen to. In this week’s Torah portion, ten out of twelve men chose to listen to fear rather than to the promise given to them by their Creator. How can we avoid the same mistakes they made? To find out, let’s take a look into this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

It’s difficult to be around negative people, especially in the middle of difficult circumstances. In this week’s Torah portion, Moses deals with many difficult situations but comes through them with a positive attitude and unyielding faith in God. How did he do it, and what can we learn from this great leader? Let’s explore these concepts together in this week’s 5 Minute Torah on Parashat Beha'alotcha.

Watch: https://youtu.be/jCp_yNhJHE8 The text of Pirkei Avot acts as an anchor to the practical application of biblical values and ethics, which can often be obscured by the intellectual and oftentimes academic nature of other Jewish studies. There will be a total of seven videos in this series: an introduction and then one video per week, each covering one chapter of Pirkei Avot. For some, this may be all new material. For others, the text may be familiar, but the connections with the Yeshua and the Apostolic Scriptures will be new. Nothing in this study will be new or innovative. However, you may discover that you will look at the Apostolic Scriptures, particularly the teachings of Yeshua, through a lens you may have never seen before. My hope is that you’ll not only come to appreciate the wisdom of Pirkei Avot, but you’ll see the wisdom of Yeshua and the Apostles in a new light as well. Links to my books on Amazon: 5 Minute Torah, Volume 1: amzn.to/3VzepUR 5 Minute Torah, Volume 2: amzn.to/3s560uM 5 Minut

The text of Pirkei Avot acts as an anchor to the practical application of biblical values and ethics, which can often be obscured by the intellectual and oftentimes academic nature of other Jewish studies. There will be a total of seven videos in this series: an introduction and then one video per week, each covering one chapter of Pirkei Avot. For some, this may be all new material. For others, the text may be familiar, but the connections with the Yeshua and the Apostolic Scriptures will be new. Nothing in this study will be new or innovative. However, you may discover that you will look at the Apostolic Scriptures, particularly the teachings of Yeshua, through a lens you may have never seen before. My hope is that you’ll not only come to appreciate the wisdom of Pirkei Avot, but you’ll see the wisdom of Yeshua and the Apostles in a new light as well. Links to my books on Amazon: 5 Minute Torah, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3VzepUR 5 Minute Torah, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/3s560uM 5 Minute Torah, Volume 3: ht

The text of Pirkei Avot acts as an anchor to the practical application of biblical values and ethics, which can often be obscured by the intellectual and oftentimes academic nature of other Jewish studies. There will be a total of seven videos in this series: an introduction and then one video per week, each covering one chapter of Pirkei Avot. For some, this may be all new material. For others, the text may be familiar, but the connections with the Yeshua and the Apostolic Scriptures will be new. Nothing in this study will be new or innovative. However, you may discover that you will look at the Apostolic Scriptures, particularly the teachings of Yeshua, through a lens you may have never seen before. My hope is that you’ll not only come to appreciate the wisdom of Pirkei Avot, but you’ll see the wisdom of Yeshua and the Apostles in a new light as well. Links to my books on Amazon: 5 Minute Torah, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3VzepUR 5 Minute Torah, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/3s560uM 5 Minute Torah, Volume 3: ht

The text of Pirkei Avot acts as an anchor to the practical application of biblical values and ethics, which can often be obscured by the intellectual and oftentimes academic nature of other Jewish studies. There will be a total of seven videos in this series: an introduction and then one video per week, each covering one chapter of Pirkei Avot. For some, this may be all new material. For others, the text may be familiar, but the connections with the Yeshua and the Apostolic Scriptures will be new. Nothing in this study will be new or innovative. However, you may discover that you will look at the Apostolic Scriptures, particularly the teachings of Yeshua, through a lens you may have never seen before. My hope is that you’ll not only come to appreciate the wisdom of Pirkei Avot, but you’ll see the wisdom of Yeshua and the Apostles in a new light as well. Links to my books on Amazon: 5 Minute Torah, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3VzepUR 5 Minute Torah, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/3s560uM 5 Minute Torah, Volume 3: ht