There is no precise formula from which we can predict how things will work out in our lives, or in the way God will complete His covenant purposes in the world.

It wasn’t always so obvious that Christians would one day help restore Israel, but one rabbi knew long before it happened.

The greatness of God’s covenant lies in His mercy. How, in all His majesty and perfection, He was willing to walk with sinful men – even the fallible patriarchs of the covenant – to fulfil His promises of redemption, is awesome to contemplate.

There is much for us to learn from Jacob’s walk that helps us to understand our own walk.

If Christianity highlights life beyond death, Judaism emphasises the values are you transmitting to this world before death.

“We’ll meet at eight at Talitha Kumi.” That’s how I used to arrange to meet friends as a teenager. Since we came from different neighborhoods, it was the best meeting point in Jerusalem—and it still is one of the most popular spots in the city to this day.

God’s ways are beyond our human logic. He separates to Himself, as Jacob divided the flocks of Laban, those who are called and respond to His covenant purposes, and cares for them as a shepherd does his flock.

Segev Kalfon endured torture, isolation, and forced conversion attempts in Gaza—but says it was faith, not fear, that carried him through the darkness.

As we consider this week’s Torah portion, we might also consider our own situations as present-day custodians and witnesses of God’s covenant promises.