https://www.facebook.com/473084232555574/

Journey to Esther, Jerusalem (2026)

03/05/2026

Denmark is currently combatting a pathological surge in antisemitism, characterized by a staggering 900% escalation in hostility following October 2023. In a single year, the Danish Jewish community endured a higher volume of targeted incidents than the preceding nine years combined.

In present-day Copenhagen, young Jewish children must navigate fully-fortified schools and all congregants endure checkpoint-style synagogue entrances, while in contrast, government ministers ride unguarded across Copenhagen.

Read more in, "Across the Øresund: Danish Antisemitism (Part One)," published today via Times of Israel.

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/across-the-oresund-danish-antisemitism-part-one/

From the blog of Heather Cathleen Cox at The Times of Israel

19/03/2026

The way we name our days, mark our months, and move through time is not accidental. It was shaped—intentionally—and over time it became so familiar that it stopped being questioned. What we now call normal carries decisions, influences, and shifts that most people simply inherited without ever being told.

In the Scriptural pattern, the day begins at evening, the month begins with the renewed moon, and the year begins in Abib—when the land comes alive and Pesach stands at the front. That structure was gradually overlaid: midnight replaced evening, Sunday stepped into the place of the seventh day, and January—named for the Roman god Janus—was fixed as the beginning of the year. (Even today, “Sunday” still literally means “day of the Sun.”) This series follows that shift and then returns to what was given. Because once the starting point moves, everything that follows moves with it—and the only way to see it clearly is to look again at where things actually begin.

Part 3: When Barley, Moon, and Passover Agree

18/03/2026

Time didn’t just drift. It was changed, and most of us were handed it as if it had always been this way.

Part 2, "How the Head of the Year Was Moved," is live. This one steps into the day, the week, the quiet structure underneath everything we’ve been calling “normal.”

Take a second look. Not to argue—just to see. And if you'd like to receive tomorrow's installment in your inbox, feel free to join our community mailing list, available on the other side of the link.

For Love of the Truth,
Esther

Part 2: How the Head of the Year Was Moved

17/03/2026

The month does not begin because a printer says so. It begins because the moon has begun again. The Scriptural books of the Torah, Leviticus and Numbers, both set Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month (Lev. 23.5; Num. 28.16).

Passover this year will begin on the 1st of April. So what happened between the Torah and January?

If you're up for a bit of where Scripture stands and how we moved so far from it...grab a cup of tea and click the link below: How Janus Stole the Year.

This is part 1 of a 3-part series. Part 2 will follow tomorrow. If you'd like it in your inbox, be welcome to join our community via the link.

For the Love of Truth,
Esther

Part 1: How Janus Stole the Year

14/03/2026

This week the new moon appears after nightfall on March 18, marking the biblical beginning of the month and the approach of the Scriptural new year. Yet the calendar most of us follow begins in January, a Roman innovation.

"Before January" explores how the year moved from spring to winter in a three-part series. The journey begins Tuesday. Read more in our blog and subscribe to receive each installment directly in your inbox.

For a Love of Truth,
Esther

A three-part series from Journey to Esther

03/03/2026

If finding joy in the mundane, making ends stretch, or being excellent in consistency has worn on you, here's a blog on finding restoration...in gratitude. From my heart, to yours.

Love,
Heather

Learning to be joyous stewards

02/03/2026

Purim reminds us that quiet courage matters, that discipline steadies the heart, and that even hidden goodness can carry a people through uncertainty into light. I explore this more fully in the reflection linked below.

May this season bring you a brightness that feels unforced and enduring, a table marked by warmth and generosity, and a joy deep enough to remember where it came from. May laughter rise easily, kindness move outward, and the sweetness of the day remain long after it passes.

Purim Sameach
(Happy Purim)

A winter story of hidden courage, communal memory, and joy strong enough to include restraint.

28/07/2025

The Death of Jacob
Genesis 49

49:1 And Jacob called his sons and said, "Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come.
49:2 Assemble and hearken, O sons of Jacob; Hearken to Israel your father:
49:3 Reuben, you are my first-born, My might and first fruit of my vigor, Exceeding in rank And exceeding in honor.
49:4 Unstable as water, you shall excel no longer; For when you mounted your father's bed, You brought disgrace -- my couch he mounted!
49:5 Simeon and Levi are a pair; Their weapons are tools of lawlessness.
49:6 Let not my person be included in their council, Let not my being be counted in their assembly. For when angry they slay men, And when pleased they maim oxen.
49:7 Cursed be their anger so fierce, And their wrath so relentless. I will divide them in Jacob, Scatter them in Israel.
49:8 You, O Judah, your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the nape of your foes; Your father's sons shall bow low to you.
49:9 Judah is a lion's whelp; On prey, my son, have you grown. He crouches, lies down like a lion, Like the king of beasts -- who dare rouse him?
49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet; So that tribute shall come to him And the homage of peoples be his.
49:11 He tethers his ass to a vine, His ass's foal to a choice vine; He washes his garment in wine, His robe in blood of grapes.
49:12 His eyes are darker than wine; His teeth are whiter than milk.
49:13 Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore; He shall be a haven for ships, And his flank shall rest on Sidon.
49:14 Issachar is a strong-boned ass, Crouching among the sheepfolds.
49:15 When he saw how good was security, And how pleasant was the country, He bent his shoulder to the burden, And became a toiling serf.
49:16 Dan shall govern his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.
49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the road, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that his rider is thrown backward.
49:18 I wait for Your deliverance, O LORD!
49:19 Gad shall be raided by raiders, But he shall raid at their heels.
49:20 Asher's bread shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.
49:21 Naphtali is a hind let loose, Which yields lovely fawns.
49:22 Joseph is a wild ass, A wild ass by a spring -- Wild colts on a hillside.
49:23 Archers bitterly assailed him; They shot at him and harried him.
49:24 Yet his bow stayed taut, And his arms were made firm By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob -- There, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel --
49:25 The God of your father who helps you, And Shaddai who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that couches below, Blessings of the breast and womb.
49:26 The blessings of your father Surpass the blessings of my ancestors, To the utmost bounds of the eternal hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, On the brow of the elect of his brothers.
49:27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he consumes the foe, And in the evening he divides the spoil."
49:28 All these were the tribes of Israel, twelve in number, and this is what their father said to them as he bade them farewell, addressing to each a parting word appropriate to him.
49:29 Then he instructed them, saying to them, "I am about to be gathered to my kin. Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
49:30 the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site --
49:31 there Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah --
49:32 the field and the cave in it, bought from the Hittites."
49:33 When Jacob finished his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and, breathing his last, he was gathered to his people.

_______

Today's Thought: What is something significant about the death of Jacob?

Hebrew Torah Study: The Five Books Attributed to Moshe

27/07/2025

Israel Blesses Ephraim
Genesis 48

48:1 Some time afterward, Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
48:2 When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to see you," Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
48:3 And Jacob said to Joseph, "El Shaddai appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and He blessed me,
48:4 and said to me, 'I will make you fertile and numerous, making of you a community of peoples; and I will assign this land to your offspring to come for an everlasting possession.'
48:5 Now, your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, shall be mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine no less than Reuben and Simeon.
48:6 But progeny born to you after them shall be yours; they shall be recorded instead of their brothers in their inheritance.
48:7 I [do this because], when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died, to my sorrow, while I was journeying in the land of Canaan, when still some distance short of Ephrath; and I buried her there on the road to Ephrath" -- now Bethlehem.
48:8 Noticing Joseph's sons, Israel asked, "Who are these?"
48:9 And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." "Bring them up to me," he said, "that I may bless them."
48:10 Now Israel's eyes were dim with age; he could not see. So [Joseph] brought them close to him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
48:11 And Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see you again, and here God has let me see your children as well."
48:12 Joseph then removed them from his knees, and bowed low with his face to the ground.
48:13 Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim with his right hand -- to Israel's left -- and Manasseh with his left hand -- to Israel's right -- and brought them close to him.
48:14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, though he was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head -- thus crossing his hands -- although Manasseh was the first-born.
48:15 And he blessed Joseph, saying, "The God in whose ways my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd from my birth to this day --
48:16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all harm -- Bless the lads. In them may my name be recalled, And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, And may they be teeming multitudes upon the earth."
48:17 When Joseph saw that his father was placing his right hand on Ephraim's head, he thought it wrong; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's.
48:18 "Not so, Father," Joseph said to his father, "for the other is the first-born; place your right hand on his head."
48:19 But his father objected, saying, "I know, my son, I know. He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great. Yet his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall be plentiful enough for nations."
48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying: God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh." Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die; but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
48:22 And now, I assign to you one portion more than to your brothers, which I wrested from the Amorites with my sword and bow."

_______

Today's Thought: Why is it symbolic that Israel blesses Ephraim?

Hebrew Torah Study: The Five Books Attributed to Moshe

25/07/2025

Israel Increases in Egypt During Famine
Genesis 47

47:1 Then Joseph came and reported to Pharaoh, saying, "My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that is theirs, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the region of Goshen."
47:2 And selecting a few of his brothers, he presented them to Pharaoh.
47:3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" They answered Pharaoh, "We your servants are shepherds, as were also our fathers.
47:4 We have come," they told Pharaoh, "to sojourn in this land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, the famine being severe in the land of Canaan. Pray, then, let your servants stay in the region of Goshen."
47:5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "As regards your father and your brothers who have come to you,
47:6 the land of Egypt is open before you: settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land; let them stay in the region of Goshen. And if you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock."
47:7 Joseph then brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob greeted Pharaoh.
47:8 Pharaoh asked Jacob, "How many are the years of your life?"
47:9 And Jacob answered Pharaoh, "The years of my sojourn [on earth] are one hundred and thirty. Few and hard have been the years of my life, nor do they come up to the life spans of my fathers during their sojourns."
47:10 Then Jacob bade Pharaoh farewell, and left Pharaoh's presence.
47:11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers, giving them holdings in the choicest part of the land of Egypt, in the region of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
47:12 Joseph sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, down to the little ones.
47:13 Now there was no bread in all the world, for the famine was very severe; both the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.
47:14 Joseph gathered in all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, as payment for the rations that were being procured, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's palace.
47:15 And when the money gave out in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, lest we die before your very eyes; for the money is gone!"
47:16 And Joseph said, "Bring your livestock, and I will sell to you against your livestock, if the money is gone."
47:17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, for the stocks of sheep and cattle, and the asses; thus he provided them with bread that year in exchange for all their livestock.
47:18 And when that year was ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We cannot hide from my lord that, with all the money and animal stocks consigned to my lord, nothing is left at my lord's disposal save our persons and our farmland.
47:19 Let us not perish before your eyes, both we and our land. Take us and our land in exchange for bread, and we with our land will be serfs to Pharaoh; provide the seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become a waste."
47:20 So Joseph gained possession of all the farm land of Egypt for Pharaoh, every Egyptian having sold his field because the famine was too much for them; thus the land passed over to Pharaoh.
47:21 And he removed the population town by town, from one end of Egypt's border to the other.
47:22 Only the land of the priests he did not take over, for the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they lived off the allotment which Pharaoh had made to them; therefore they did not sell their land.
47:23 Then Joseph said to the people, "Whereas I have this day acquired you and your land for Pharaoh, here is seed for you to sow the land.
47:24 And when harvest comes, you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be yours as seed for the fields and as food for you and those in your households, and as nourishment for your children."
47:25 And they said, "You have saved our lives! We are grateful to my lord, and we shall be serfs to Pharaoh."
47:26 And Joseph made it into a land law in Egypt, which is still valid, that a fifth should be Pharaoh's; only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh's.
47:27 Thus Israel settled in the country of Egypt, in the region of Goshen; they acquired holdings in it, and were fertile and increased greatly.
47:28 Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt, so that the span of Jacob's life came to one hundred and forty-seven years.
47:29 And when the time approached for Israel to die, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, "Do me this favor, place your hand under my thigh as a pledge of your steadfast loyalty: please do not bury me in Egypt.
47:30 When I lie down with my fathers, take me up from Egypt and bury me in their burial-place." He replied, "I will do as you have spoken."
47:31 And he said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed at the head of the bed.

_______

Today's Thought: What is significant about Israel acquiring holdings in Goshen?

Hebrew Torah Study: The Five Books Attributed to Moshe

25/07/2025

Israel and Joseph Reunion
Genesis 46

Israel and Joseph Reunion

Genesis 46

46:1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and he came to Beer-sheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
46:2 God called to Israel in a vision by night: "Jacob! Jacob!" He answered, "Here."
46:3 And He said, "I am God, the God of your father. Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will make you there into a great nation.
46:4 I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I Myself will also bring you back; and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes."
46:5 So Jacob set out from Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel put their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to transport him;
46:6 and they took along their livestock and the wealth that they had amassed in the land of Canaan. Thus Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt:
46:7 he brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters -- all his offspring.
46:8 These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his descendants, who came to Egypt. Jacob's first-born Reuben;
46:9 Reuben's sons: Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
46:10 Simeon's sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Saul the son of a Canaanite woman.
46:11 Levi's sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
46:12 Judah's sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah -- but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan; and Perez's sons were Hezron and Hamul.
46:13 Issachar's sons: Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.
46:14 Zebulun's sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
46:15 Those were the sons whom Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. Persons in all, male and female: 33.
46:16 Gad's sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
46:17 Asher's sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah's sons: Heber and Malchiel.
46:18 These were the descendants of Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah. These she bore to Jacob -- 16 persons.
46:19 The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
46:20 To Joseph were born in the land of Egypt Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore to him.
46:21 Benjamin's sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
46:22 These were the descendants of Rachel who were born to Jacob -- 14 persons in all.
46:23 Dan's son: Hushim.
46:24 Naphtali's sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
46:25 These were the descendants of Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel. These she bore to Jacob -- 7 persons in all.
46:26 All the persons belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt -- his own issue, aside from the wives of Jacob's sons -- all these persons numbered 66.
46:27 And Joseph's sons who were born to him in Egypt were two in number. Thus the total of Jacob's household who came to Egypt was seventy persons.
46:28 He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph, to point the way before him to Goshen. So when they came to the region of Goshen,
46:29 Joseph ordered his chariot and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel; he presented himself to him and, embracing him around the neck, he wept on his neck a good while.
46:30 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Now I can die, having seen for myself that you are still alive."
46:31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell the news to Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
46:32 The men are shepherds; they have always been breeders of livestock, and they have brought with them their flocks and herds and all that is theirs.'
46:33 So when Pharaoh summons you and asks, 'What is your occupation?'
46:34 you shall answer, 'Your servants have been breeders of livestock from the start until now, both we and our fathers' -- so that you may stay in the region of Goshen. For all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians."

_______

Today's Thought: What is significant about Joseph's father, Israel, being reunited with his son in Egypt?

Hebrew Torah Study: The Five Books Attributed to Moshe

Journey to Esther

03/05/2026

19/03/2026

18/03/2026

17/03/2026

14/03/2026

03/03/2026

02/03/2026

28/07/2025

27/07/2025

25/07/2025

25/07/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category