Commentaries and Devotionals

Weekly Readings Notice

28 August 2025 by

Shlama lukh! Typically you will find the Aurayta (Torah) reading commentary published on Wednesdays, followed by the Haftarah commentary or notes on Friday. Alaha-willing, the Brit Chadasha reading will be published early on each Shabta morning. It is my prayer that these commentaries and notes assist your daily walk with Mar-Yah and His Mshikha Yeshua. … Read more

Commentary on Parashat Shoftim

28 August 202527 August 2025 by

Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

Parashat Shoftim is deeply concerned with the establishment of righteous order within Israel. It sets forth laws concerning judges, priests, kings, prophets, warfare, and communal responsibility. The central theme is the necessity of justice grounded in the will of Mar-Yah, not in human ambition or partiality. The text demonstrates that Israel was to be a people distinguished by equity, truth, and covenantal faithfulness.

In the wider vision of the Scriptures, these ordinances point to the reign of Yeshua Mshikha, who is both the Judge and the King, the Prophet like unto Mosheh, and the One who brings final justice and peace. The Desposyni, as His family and heirs of the House of David, embody continuity with this ancient expectation, preserving the rightful order within the Assembly of Jerusalem.

Commentary on Parashat Re’eh

20 August 2025 by

Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17

In this week’s portion we see that Mosheh summons Israel to contemplate the profound reality of covenantal choice. “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse” (Deut. 11:26). This is a covenantal decree that touches the very destiny of the people of Israel. The blessing is linked to obedience, the curse to rebellion, and the nation is reminded that its future hinges upon fidelity to Mar-Yah.

This portion encompasses some of the most defining ordinances that would shape Israel’s collective identity. It sets forth the command to establish worship only in the place that Mar-Yah Himself shall choose, thereby eradicating idolatrous practices from the Land. It provides safeguards against false prophets and seducers who would lure Israel into apostasy. It reiterates dietary distinctions, establishing holiness as a visible marker in the life of the nation. It commands tithes for the Levites and the poor, institutes the release of debts in the Sabbatical year, and upholds the ethical obligation to liberate Hebrew servants. The parashah culminates with the laws of the three pilgrimage feasts—Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot—which sanctify Israel’s sacred time and bind the people together in communal worship.

Commentary on Parashat Eikev

13 August 2025 by

Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25

Parashat Eikev follows directly upon the covenantal exhortations of Parashat Va’etchanan, but the tone here shifts from recalling Israel’s past failures to showing us the blessings that attend obedience and the dangers that accompany pride or forgetfulness. Our reading is a reminder that the walk of the covenant is not only about grand gestures, but about obedience in the seemingly small, everyday matters—the “mitzvoth” that might be metaphorically underfoot, yet which are foundational for the life of the Assembly.

This portion reveals the ancient covenant logic of cause and effect—faithfulness brings blessing, covenantal neglect brings loss. This is the dynamic reality of life under Mar-Yah’s sovereignty. The blessings described here—fertility, prosperity, security, and the defeat of enemies—are rooted in the relationship between Mar-Yah and His people, a relationship founded in mercy and truth, yet demanding steadfast love and obedience. Yeshua Mshikha, in the Sermon on the Mount, intensifies this very principle, teaching that the greatest in the Kingdom is the one who observes and teaches even the least of the Commandments (Matthew 5:19).

Commentary on Parashat Vaetchanan

6 August 2025 by

Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

Parashat Va’etchanan is the second parashah of Sefer Devarim, a book framed as the final testament of Mosheh to the generation born in the wilderness—those who will soon cross the Yarden into the Land of Promise. The portion begins with Mosheh’s earnest supplication to Mar-Yah for permission to enter the land, and proceeds to a solemn recapitulation of Israel’s sacred obligations under the covenant.

A Prophetic Word for the Appointed Season

3 August 20251 August 2025 by

Thus says Mar-Yah, the Holy One of Yisra’el, El Shaddai, who stretches forth the heavens by His breath and establishes the earth upon the waters:

“The time has come when I shall move swiftly in the earth. I have summoned the nations to account, and I have weighed them in My balances. Behold, they are found wanting. I have spoken through the mouths of My prophets, yet many have turned away. I have knocked, but few have opened. Therefore, I shall arise, and I shall act, and My deeds shall be as a whirlwind among the peoples.”

“The high towers of commerce shall begin to totter, and the strongholds of wealth shall be shaken. I shall strike the idols of gain with an event both sudden and unforeseen—one which shall confound the wisdom of the prudent. The proud shall stumble, the secure shall tremble, and those who have made flesh their arm shall find no refuge. What they trusted in shall betray them, and their systems shall fail like a net that cannot hold.”

A Call to Discern the Appointed Times

31 July 2025 by

Shalom to the faithful remnant,

As we pass into the unfolding days of August, let us not forget the charge that was sounded at the threshold of this prophetic season. The time of shaking has commenced in the concrete movements of history, nature, and the human heart. It is a divinely appointed moment in which Mar-Yah is visiting the earth in judgement and in mercy. The watchword is no longer, “It shall come,” but rather, “It has begun.”

As it is written, “Surely Mar-Yah will do nothing, but He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). And now the scroll is unrolling further. The events of August, whether seen on the stage of nations or within the still recesses of personal lives, are to be discerned as part of the divine plan. Let us therefore deepen our understanding, sharpen our perception, and press into the counsel of the Holy One.

Commentary on Parashat Devarim

30 July 2025 by

Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22

With the reading of Parashat Devarim we start the final book of Aurayta. Some refer to Deuteronomy as a relisting of the Law, however, it is far more than a simple recapitulation. Delivered by Mosheh in the final weeks of his life, east of the Yarden in the plains of Moav, these speeches consist of prophetic urgency, historical remembrance, and covenantal gravity.

In its composition and structure, the Sefer Devarim reflects the form of an Ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaty recounting the sovereign’s past beneficence, stipulating the people’s obligations, and invoking blessings and curses. Yet, unlike pagan treaties, this is not a political document—it is a sacred testimony of Mar-Yah’s covenantal faithfulness and Israel’s vocation.

The Month of August 2025

31 July 202530 July 2025 by

Shalom brethren!

Be on the watch for events beginning in the month of August. For the days are not as they once were, and the rhythm of the times has shifted. The hourglass of the nations is being overturned, and the winds of change, long restrained by the sovereign hand of Mar-Yah, shall begin to stir with unusual intensity.

Let all who have ears to hear and eyes to see attend carefully to the signs which shall unfold as the eighth month dawns. The month of August is being reclaimed for a higher proclamation. Not by Caesar, nor by princes of this world, but by the will of the Holy One of Israel—Mar-Yah Tseva’ot, who does according to His pleasure in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.

As it is written in the Daniel: “And He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings, and sets up kings. He gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding” (2:21). So too shall the times be changed beginning in August—not by human hands alone, but by the sovereign decree of Mar-Yah.

Commentary on Parashat Matot-Masei

24 July 2025 by

Bamidbar (Numbers) 30:2–36:13; 28:9–15

Parashat Matot-Masei concludes the Book of Bamidbar with a strong theological, ethical, and eschatological resonance. Matot and Masei together form a double portion frequently read in tandem during the Shabbat prior to Tisha B’Av, the national day of mourning over the destruction of the Temple, evoking themes of covenantal responsibility, divine justice, territorial inheritance, and the longings of exile and return.

This portion addresses the sanctity of vows (30:2–17), the war against Midian (31), the settlement request of Reuben and Gad (32), the listing of Israel’s journeys (33), boundary and inheritance laws (34–36), and additional festival offerings (28:9–15). The reading is best approached with eyes fixed on Mar-Yah’s covenantal faithfulness and the messianic fulfilment found in Yeshua Mshikha, the true Heir of Israel and our Great High Priest (Hebrews 9:11–15).