Shabbat Shalom, beloved family and friends
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No, it’s not a command. Some say we shouldn’t. But for me, the light helps. It reminds me of the Light of the world—Messiah Yeshua—and His call for us to shine in the darkness. It slows me down. It quiets the chaos. It welcomes the Ruach ha’Qodesh into my home and heart. It invites me to rest in shalom, to simply be with YHWH.
And sometimes—shalom must be fought for.
As I opened the Torah portion tonight, even just in the first readings, there’s already so much stirring. One repeated theme stands out: how open sin, unfaithfulness to YHWH, leads to death. And not always just for the one who sinned… sometimes for those around them.
Take Pinḥas (Phinehas). He rose up with zeal—qana in Hebrew—for YHWH and struck down sin in the camp. His obedience wasn’t rooted in rage but in righteousness. And what did YHWH do? He gave Pinḥas a covenant of peace and called him His friend (JPS Tanakh).
“Therefore say, ‘See, I am giving him My covenant of peace,’ and it shall be to him and to his seed after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was ardent for his Elohim, and made atonement for the children of Yisra’ĕl.”
— Bemiḏbar/Numbers 25:12-13 (TS2009)
How powerful… that obedience, though uncomfortable and bold, saved a nation and birthed legacy. What might our obedience birth? What curses could be broken? What lives saved, simply because we chose to stand for truth?
We also see Qorah (Korah), who rebelled, was swollowed up and 250 others… consumed by fire as a warning sign. And yet, did you know his sons did not die?
“But the sons of Qorah did not die.”— Bemiḏbar/Numbers 26:11 (TS2009)
They were spared.
How often do sons walk in their father’s footsteps, repeating patterns, inheriting not only names—but wounds, pride, and sin? But here we see that a different path is possible. Generational curses don’t have to be inherited. Courage can break the cycle.
Obedience can redeem a bloodline.
And let’s talk about that phrase people use so casually: “Oh, that’s just Moses’ law…”
But when I read the Torah, I see:
“And YHWH spoke to Mosheh, saying…”
Over and over. Not Moses said.
YHWH said. That changes everything.
YHWH is holy. Set-apart. And He repeatedly warns us to approach with care. With reverence. With slowness. There is a language of caution and holiness woven into these commands. Not to frighten us, but to prepare us.
Because today? We rush.
We throw offerings of worship or praise or Scripture into the air just to check a box.
But YHWH is calling us to more.
To deliberate worship.
To intentional relationship.
To obedience that costs us comfort but births covenant.
I’ve only just begun this portion—but already I feel the weight of His presence. I hope you join in this week. I hope you dig deep, ask questions, and sit long with the Word.
And most of all—I pray YHWH surrounds you with His perfect peace, the kind that comes when we walk in His ways.
“Great peace have those loving Your Torah, And for them there is no stumbling-block.”
— Tehillim/Psalm 119:165 (TS2009)
Shabbat Shalom, beloved ones.
Let’s walk the narrow path, together.