Although it’s been a while since the last Spreading the Word On-line newsletter, they have some exciting news for you. Through their sister ministry, Messianic Education Trust, they’re going to run some summer classes this year and you can join in. They’ve had several comments that folk would really like to be able to get into conversation about the Torah portion and to explore it in more depth – if this is you, then this is your opportunity.
They’re running a trial set of just six one-hour classes during July and August (one each week, starting Thursday July 11th) to see whether people would like to engage with the Torah in this way on a regular basis and join the centuries old conversation that the Jewish world has always had with the Torah.
They also know that some folk have been asking about Hebrew classes, so once again, they’re running a trial set of six one-hour classes at the same time (but on a different day) to see whether people would like to engage with a Hebrew text taken from the week’s Torah portion. They’ll be doing a literal translation, seeing how the grammar and vocabulary is reflected (or not) in the English translations and learning about the structues and literary devices that the biblical writers and tradents use to convey their message. Some knowledge of biblical Hebrew will be required!
Excited? We are! They can’t wait to begin and to be able to share with you over the summer break while the weather is hot and not much else happens in the congregation/church world.
They’ve recorded two short videos with all the details, on pages where you can register and sign-up for the classes, so if you’re interested, do pop over and have a look. They hope to welcome you into study hall.
Almost at the end of the Daily Bible Reading workshop, this is the fourth session in the four-part series. The first three sessions have been very popular, with some people watching them several times – or passing them on to friends who have been watching them as well. It has been so encouraging to see how the material has been received and has been a blessing for people. We’ve had a lot of comments and questions via the blog – this is obviously meeting a need. In the the first session, I covered vocabulary and in the second move on to cross-references. The third session looked at structure, using both the Psalms and one of the gospels to illustrate how the biblical authors used structure to emphasise and underline their message, and today’s session describes one of the ways that Spreading the Word Online is reaching out to encourage people in reading and understanding their Bibles.
We pray that your Bible reading is already a little more informed and that you’re able to see new things in the text each day. They were there all the time, of course, but now you have some tools and tips to pick out those features – do let us know how you are getting on as the days go by.
By now, you know what to do: just click on the link below to go to the fourth workshop session
Jonathan and Belinda
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Rabbi Dr Jonathan Allen PhD CEng
Director, Spreading The Word – Online To come off our mailing list at any time, simply hit reply to this email and send us a little note to explain and we’ll take care of it right away. You can see our privacy policies here.
We’re just over the half-way mark now: two done and two to go. Here is the third session in our four-part Daily Bible Reading Workshop. We’ve had hundreds of views for the both the first and sessions and quite a lot of active feedback – we hope you’ll join us again as we move forward in our presentation of easy-to-do ways that we can all get more out of our Bible reading every day. While the first session covered vocabulary and the second looked at cross-references, today’s session takes us on a tour of structure, using both the Psalms and one of the gospels to illustrate how the biblical authors used structure to emphasise and underline their message.
This is the third of four short video sessions over the course of two weeks, covering just a small range of topics to do with reading the Bible each day. Hopefully, you’re already looking at your daily reading with more enthusiasm and finding the word speaking to you more clearly. As we gain experience in reading the text, so the Spirit can get our attention and explain more of His wonders to us.
We’re so impressed and excited by the way that the community is already starting to develop around the blog postings for each video. Most people really want to feel that they are part of something larger than themselves and being able to read and be encouraged by what others have already written, as well as making their own voice heard, is a part of who we are and were created to be by our Heavenly Father. As before, let me encourage you to share your thoughts about this third session – or any of the others – on the blog beloew the video once you have watched it.
By now, you know what to do: just click on the link below to go to the third workshop session
Jonathan and Belinda
—
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Allen PhD CEng
Director, Spreading The Word – Online To come off our mailing list at any time, simply hit reply to this email and send us a little note to explain and we’ll take care of it right away. You can see our privacy policies here.
A flurry of activity shows me that not everyone who wants to be a part of the “Verse of the Day – Plus” learning community from its outset realised that they needed to sign up today at the special launch price of just twelve pounds. You will still be able to sign up after midnight today (Friday), but only at the regular price of twenty five pounds. The launch offer is less than half the regular price and includes an extra bonus session of the Daily Bible Reading Workshop, looking at concordances. That’s just one pound ($1.40) per month, a tad over 3p (7c) per day for all the added value that we will bring to help you read and understand your Bible and to be able to share those thoughts with an on-line learning community.
A few people wrote to complain that they didn’t want to pay for their Daily Bread. We understand that and heaven forfend that we would charge anyone for access to the text of the Bible, or be trying to get people to pay for the Bible being delivered to them. There are any number of free and very usable Bible reading programs out there, offering verses and sometimes a little commentary. Please don’t let us take you away from something with which you are comfortable.
We are making a very modest subscription charge for the extra scholarship that we are bringing to your study and reading, for access to material drawn from our scholarly library, for our years of experience in writing and commenting on the biblical text, for a guided and, we hope, inspired path through the Bible in bite-sized pieces with commentary, scholarship, further study suggestions and questions and a challenge or application, for an audio transcript so that you can listen to the lesson each day as well as read it, and for access to and membership of a learning community who are all working with the same material and can discuss questions and concerns, to share and discover how the Bible and its Author are speaking to you.
We need enough people in our initial community group so that there will always be people reading and commenting, sharing and talking; so that the community dynamics work and that people won’t be rolling around in an empty room. This is why we are offering such a significant price reduction for our foundation members, to assemble a group of enough critical mass, although we hope the group will soon grow as we share what the group is doing, how the L-rd is speaking and the learning we have done together, with friends, colleagues, acquaintances at church or congregation. We can all do this and so help the group to grow and be a blessing to an ever widening circle of believers.
So if you had reservations about the subscription fee, didn’t understand how the group was going to work, or perhaps hadn’t realised why signing up now was important, can I gently nudge you to think about popping along to the sign-up page and getting that done before midnight so that we can start with a good and robust group on Monday morning. We need you to make it work! Here’s the link again:
Wishing you Shabbat shalom and a pleasant evening and weekend, and hoping to see you for our first reading on Monday morning,
Jonathan and Belinda
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Rabbi Dr Jonathan Allen PhD CEng
Director, Spreading The Word – Online To come off our mailing list at any time, simply hit reply to this email and send us a little note to explain and we’ll take care of it right away. You can see our privacy policies here.
Today is the day when we need to close the special launch period for our foundation members of “Verse of the Day – Plus”. We’re still getting hits on the videos and the two samples of VOTD+ material have been read (and re-read) by thousands of people. Some of you have obviously been sharing the links and material with friends as we have had many ‘outside’ readings. The size of the learning community is gradually growing, but today is the last day to take advantage of the launch price and the bonus video offer. You can still sign up until midnight here:
Over on the blog we’ve had some really interesting comments and questions showing that the learning community will be thinking and growing together as we we allow the text of the Bible challenge us. Ann has actually been to the site where Herod watched Herodias’ daughter dance and then made his rash vow; you can read her comment here:
Patricia and Diana also ask some important questions to stretch our faith and practice. Why not follow the link and join in the conversation today?
All the comments and email we have had have been so encouraging, I just know that VOTD+ is going to be such a blessing. I’m really looking forward to starting with our first set of regular readings on Monday. It would be great to see you there.
Philip sent me an email to ask whether my comments about vows would be altered by Leviticus 5:4-6, where it says:
If anyone utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that people swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and he realizes his guilt in any of these; when he realizes his guilt in any of these and confesses the sin he has committed, he shall bring to the LORD as his compensation for the sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.
I think the key here is the words, “it is hidden from him”. A rash vow that is made entirely by accident, possibly not even knowing that one is making a vow, that is later discovered, may be repented of and forgiven. Notice that it is not without cost – compensation is required and confession of sin. I also think that this provision did not apply in Herod’s case: his vow was in a very public place and, had he wished to do so, he could have instantly recanted and admitted his mistake. But he clearly chose not to do so for the sake of his image and reputation, so went ahead with the murder of John the Baptist. At that point, it was not an unknown sin and the above procedure was no longer available.
Isn’t it fascinating to see what happens when we start discussing the Word – how it stretches us and challenges all of us together as we wrestle with the words and meanings. Do join us – this is a perfect example of how the dialogue should work and bless us all.
If you haven’t already done so for yourself, or think of someone else who you know would benefit from this project, you can sign up today by just clicking throught the link below:
We’re looking forward to seeing you in the “Verse of the Day – Plus” community.
Jonathan and Belinda
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Rabbi Dr Jonathan Allen PhD CEng
Director, Spreading The Word – Online To come off our mailing list at any time, simply hit reply to this email and send us a little note to explain and we’ll take care of it right away. You can see our privacy policies here.
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