A New Beginning, Again —
A New Beginning, Again —
Every year, when the cycle of moedim (God’s appointed times) ends at Simchat Torah, the whole Jewish and Messianic world begins the cycle of reading the Torah all the way through, again. And I’m excited, because despite the fact that some may think “ho, hum, read it before,” I know that each new year brings deeper understanding and new light to God’s word.
In Hebrew understanding, time is not linear. We don’t think, that happened, then this happened. Instead, it’s circular. Each rising and setting of the sun, each “evening and morning were a day,” anchors us to the concept that God’s plan is eternal. It continues in His perfect plan until all comes to completion.
Won’t you join me as I travel this amazing journey that seems to go deeper and deeper each year?
When the Temple Fell: Faith Without a Center
In AD 70, everything changed.
The Romans destroyed Jerusalem. The Temple—heart of Israel’s worship, the place where heaven and earth were understood to meet—was reduced to rubble. No altar. No sacrifices. No pilgrimage system. No central gathering point.
For a people whose life revolved around that מקום (place), the question wasn’t theoretical:
How do you remain faithful when the center is gone?
This was not just a logistical crisis. It was a theological one.