Welcome to Bible Fiber, where we explore the textures and shades of the biblical tapestry. I am Shelley Neese, president of The Jerusalem Connection, a Christian organization dedicated to sharing the stories of Israel’s people, both ancient and modern. I am also the author of the book Bible Fiber: A 52-Week Study of the Twelve…
This week, we finish our year-long march through the Torah. We have followed the Jewish reading calendar throughout the entire year, without fail, and now we have arrived at the last two chapters of Deuteronomy. In synagogues, as soon as the final words of Deuteronomy are read, a second scroll is opened to read the…
This week’s Torah Portion covers Deuteronomy 32:1–52. This is our second-to-last reading in Deuteronomy, which means we are almost to the finish line in our goal to read the first five books of the Bible in one year. The portions are getting shorter each week because we are also in the middle of the High…
This week, we are taking a brief pause from our regular Torah reading portion. This Friday evening and Saturday mark the eve and celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Because of the festival, synagogues around the world set aside the regular weekly reading in Deuteronomy to focus instead on holiday readings. In the…
This week we are reading a double Torah portion. The reading portions are called Nitzavim and Vayelech, and together they cover Deuteronomy 29:10–31:30. They capture Moses’s final charge to the assembled Israelites as his life nears its end. For the last time as their leader, Moses exhorts them to commit themselves to an enduring covenant…
By Shelley Neese This week’s Torah portion covers Deuteronomy 26:1 to 29:8. It takes its name, Ki Tavo, from its opening Hebrew words, which mean “When you come” or “When you enter.” The commandments that follow are for when Israel crosses the Jordan River, takes possession of the land, and settles into its new national…
We are nearing the end of our yearlong Torah reading cycle. Over the last ten months, we have worked our way through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Now, we only have nine chapters left in Deuteronomy. This week’s Torah portion covers Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19. It is named Ki Tetze, which translates to “When you go out.”…
This week’s Torah portion covers Deuteronomy 16:18 to 21:9. The portion takes its name from its opening command: “You shall appoint judges (shoftim) and officers within all your gates” (16:18). In this portion of Moses’s final address, he lays out the structural foundations of a just society. As he establishes the leadership framework that will…
This week’s Torah portion covers Deuteronomy 11:26 to 16:17. The Torah portion is called Re’eh, which is the imperative to look. It begins, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse” (11:26). Until now, many of the laws of the covenant have seemed abstract. They were instructions for purging idols from…
This week’s Torah portion is called Eikev, and it covers Deuteronomy 7:12 to 11:25. The name Eikev translates to “because” or “as a consequence of.” Much of its message is about the cause-and-effect relationship between Israel’s obedience and God’s blessings and her disobedience and God’s curses. The portion starts: “If you pay attention to these…