There is a woman few people remember or even discuss. Yet she is an important person in the lineage of the Jewish people. Her name is Jochebed and she is Moses’ mother. There is so little said about her and her husband in the Word of God that the significance of what is said can […]
Author Archive | Ro Pinto
Why Talk About Midwives?
This week I was wondering why the book of Exodus opens with a discussion of midwives. Since God never does or says anything by accident, it must have significance. During a Torah discussion, my rabbi pointed out that Israel was in the womb during her time in Egypt. The harsh treatment was birth pains saying, […]
The Adulterer
This post expresses something I’ve thought about for years but could never quite put into words. It is certainly something to ponder. Well said, Ruth! Originally posted on Sojourning With Jews: I knew a woman who’d been married and divorced twice, but had no children. One day her boss dropped in to work with his […]
Conversations Against Judaism
On New Year’s Eve a group of us gathered. We had a great time eating and talking, laughing and praising, dancing and playing games. About 2 a.m. the conversation that had been brewing for a while finally exploded into the focus of the New Year. Being the hostess, I couldn’t totally focus on this discussion […]
Explosion of Light
There is a lot of talk this time of year about the paganism in the Christian faith and the celebration of Christmas. So much so that it comes out sounding hateful and hurtful, snarling, biting, and mean. As followers of the Master, should we be acting this way? Last week’s Torah portion ignited an explosion […]
Is Hanukkah Biblical?
In my last post I talked about Christmas, so today I want to delve into Hanukkah. So many people believe Hanukkah is a holiday that came about some time after Jesus left the earth. Some even think it’s the Jewish counter to Christmas. What many don’t know is that it started in 165 BCE. And […]
Christmas – Earning God’s Grace?
You better watch out, you better not cry You better not pout, I’m telling you why Santa Claus is comin’ to town There was an explosion of emotion this week at my son’s house. It’s that time of year when the world falls in love Ev’ry song you hear seems to say “Merry Christmas, may […]
Who Do You Want to Emulate?
Next to The Four Living Creatures, the series on Esau generated the most traffic to this blog since its inception. That tells me the question, ‘Why God Hated Esau’, is on many minds. So I’d like to share some afterthoughts on Jacob and Esau. One thing I didn’t know but found out during Torah class, […]
One Last – But Important – Look at Why God Hated Esau
In this final installment of digging into why God hated Esau, we’ll look at not only the story of Jacob and Esau, but at Esau’s descendants – the Edomites. Believe it or not, this was what I had in mind all along, then a reader posted a comment to part one of this series, and […]
Why God Hated Esau – A Dishonest Deceiver?
Exactly who was the deceiver in the story of Jacob and Esau? Esau says it is Jacob, but is it? Let’s take an honest look at the situation. In Genesis 25 we see two sons – the older a hunter, the younger a homebody. As a hunter, the older son would be gone from home […]