ERIC TOKAJER

For many years I have heard people within the Messianic Jewish movement complain about “fringe people.” These are people on the outskirts of the Messianic movement who are a part of the Hebrew Roots movement, the “One Law” movement, The Two House movement, and (more recently) The Pronomian movement. Each of these groups, which are identified by the leaders of Messianic organizations as fringe groups, are predominantly made up of non-Jewish leadership and membership. I want to

When I was a young man, there was a popular song that played on the radio titled “Lost in Love.” The opening lines of the song were: “I realize the best part of love is the thinnest slice  And it don't count for much But I'm not letting go I believe there's still much to believe in” I was thinking about this song recently when I was listening to some men and women share their memories of the world when they were children. It was interesting to me how they spoke about the worl

As a Rabbi who leads a congregation, one of my focuses is on teaching people who attend my synagogue the ways of Torah. Torah isn’t simply a list of rules and regulations or do’s and don’ts. It is a way of life based upon our relationship with G-D. So when I share the teachings of the Scriptures with those who attend our synagogue, it includes teaching about sin. Now I know that sin is not a popular thing to talk about today, but the truth is I don’t think teaching about sin

The story of the Exodus from Egypt is one of the most compelling narratives in the Bible. It hits upon nearly every theme there is in the relationship between G-D and man. There are G-D's blessings upon Israel. There is Israel’s bondage and G-D’s deliverance. There is prayer and answered prayers. There is a deliverer empowered by G-D to deliver those who not only prayed but acted upon their prayers. There is evil and good. There are miracles and wonders and there are covenant

When we think of the Exodus story, most often we think about Moses as the hero of the story. What we don’t often think about is that before Moses, the hero, entered the story, there were five women who are recognized in the Bible for their heroic actions while Moses was still just a baby. The truth is that without the heroic actions of these five women, there would have been no Moses to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt. In case you are new to the Exodus story or just

As I was reading through the book of Genesis again this year, I came upon a verse that I had never paid particular attention to before. The verse is found in Genesis 46 and is a statement that Israel (Jacob, Isaac’s son and Abraham’s grandson) made after he saw his son Joseph. If you remember, Joseph was Israel’s favorite son who was sold into slavery by his brothers. After many years, Joseph is not only the second in command of Egypt, but also is the one G-D had used to save