“It’s a deeper and more meaningful dive into scripture than I hear from the Christian perspective,” Denise H. wrote after reading The Weekly Word. “I’m digging into the roots of my faith and my faith grows stronger each day.”
She is one of a growing number of Christians who read the Hebrew Bible on the Jewish calendar, one portion at a time. This Shabbat is the ideal moment to join them. Synagogues worldwide return to the first chapter of Genesis this week and begin the annual Torah reading cycle anew.
Reading on the Jewish Calendar
Jewish tradition divides the Five Books of Moses into 54 weekly readings. Each is called a parsha, Hebrew for “portion,” and is read aloud in synagogue on Shabbat, the Sabbath that runs from Friday sunset to Saturday night. The cycle closes each autumn on Simchat Torah (“Rejoicing in the Torah”) and opens again with Bereishit, “In the beginning,” the Hebrew name for Genesis.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
The Weekly Word, by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, gives Christian readers a guide for each of those 54 weeks. Every chapter takes one portion and draws out a short, focused lesson rooted in Jewish teaching and the Hebrew text.
What Readers Find
For Marcia C., the Hebrew is what opens the text. “Getting the Hebrew information and perspective makes the Word even more meaningful!!” she wrote. She liked the book enough to buy a second copy for a friend.
For Henry W.’s family, the book sits on the shelf beside their Israel Bibles and Rabbi Wolicki’s Cup of Salvation. They read Israel365’s emails every morning and turned out to hear Rabbi Wolicki speak at El Shaddai in Puyallup, Washington.
A Year, One Portion at a Time
Korla M. reads a chapter every Friday evening and intends to keep going. “I have learned so much and plan on making this book one I read each year,” she wrote.
Each week, Jews around the world read the next portion of the Torah, and a growing number of Christians read along with them. With Genesis opening a new cycle this Shabbat, now is the time to join the readers of The Weekly Word.
The Weekly Word is available from the Israel365
