Christian Reflection and Prayer

“These are the laws you are to set before them.”
Exodus 21:1

 

This passage is teaching us that, as great as moments
of revelation and inspiration can be, they are not where
we will find God. It’s wonderful to be moved by a
beautiful sunset or to be awed by a powerful
thunderstorm. They may make us feel more connected
to God and inspire us to change. But that’s not where
we encounter God in the deepest way.

 

We truly encounter God where we are least expecting it
– in the store, at a business meeting, sitting around the
house with our family. It’s the quiet moments in life
where we choose to follow God’s Word or set His laws
aside; that’s where we truly encounter God.

As you go through the day, keep an ear out for that
“gentle whisper” guiding you and commanding you as
you go through life. When you hear God’s voice and
choose to obey His laws, you will have found Him, no
matter where you may be. Nothing is more sensational
than that!

 

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Verse

 

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23

 

Voice

 

Once evil is individualized, becoming part of
everyday life, the way of resisting it also
becomes individual. How does the soul
survive? is the essential question. And the
response is: through love and imagination.      
Azar Nafisi

 

Prayer

 

Give us the ability, God, to see where trouble
is rampant and justice is needed. Then give
us, too, the conviction to act and the ability
to establish peace.

 

(Sojourners,   sojo.net)

Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years
of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. —
Genesis 47:28

 

Imagine how Jacob’s last 17 years on earth must have
felt to him. Even though he was in Egypt, out of the
Holy Land, he was together with his children and
grandchildren and their ever-growing families. Those
precious years were full of peace, abundance, and
godliness. Children, parents, and grandparents all
studied the Word of God together. In this week’s
Torah portion, Jacob truly lived. And as part of life,
he passed on his legacy to his descendants and died
surrounded by his loved ones.

 

Friends, we’ve just been through the holiday season,
spending time with family and friends. But why wait
just for the holidays to do this? It’s challenging to make
time for family get-togethers in today’s busy world, but
it’s worth the effort. Because in the end, family is what
truly matters in life.

 

Family, as Jacob knew, is life.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein