It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.

As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Norman, Oklahoma, and Dallas, TX.

While customs are not commandments there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.

Bo is the Hebrew title for “Come” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Exodus starting in chapter 10 verse 1 and going through chapter 13 verse 16.

It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of Jeremiah in chapter 46 verse 13 through verse 28.

The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of John in chapter 19 with verses 31 through 37.

As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.

Torah Portion Overview-

The fifteenth Torah Portion reading is entitled Bo. Bo, which means “come” get its Torah Portion title from the first words of this reading. In the first verse it says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart.” The Torah Portion picks up with the conclusion of the ten plagues started in last week’s reading. Then, it progresses into the instructions for Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Through these two major Feasts God will protect those who obey His command. The Torah Portion concludes with Pharaoh’s son dying, and Pharaoh finally agreeing to release the Israelite’s.

Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-

• Exodus 10:1 Locusts

• Exodus 10:21 Darkness

• Exodus 11:1 Warning of the final plague

• Exodus 12:1 The Passover instituted

• Exodus 12:29 Death of the Firstborn

• Exodus 12:33 The exodus from Egypt

• Exodus 12:43 Directions for Pesach (Passover)

• Exodus 13:3 The Festival of Unleavened Bread

• Exodus 13:11 Consecrating the Firstborn

Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-

• Jeremiah 46:13 Babylonia will strike Egypt

• Jeremiah 46:27 God will save Israel

Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-

• John 19:31 The care of Jesus’ body

• John 19:37 Jesus body fulfills another Scripture

The Book of Exodus “Misrayim” which means “Departure from Egypt”

The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name in Hebrew of the first book of the Bible (Genesis) is B’reisheet. The name “B’reisheet” comes from one of the opening phrases in the book of Genesis which means “In the Beginning.”

The Greek Septuagint is where we find the English name for “Departure from Egypt” called “Exodus.”

The English name for Exodus comes from the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Exodus means "Departure from Egypt." The term Exodus is abbreviated from Exodus Aigyptou. The book of Exodus gives us the story of the children of Israel. It outlines their enslavement, their deliverance, through the idolatry of the golden calf, the giving of the Torah, and the Tabernacle. As we study the book of Exodus, we will learn a great deal about God but even more about ourselves. After all, this is the story of our ancestors. When properly understood, the story of our ancestors journey with God we see glimpses into how God works with us today.

As Messianic Christians, we find the book of Genesis and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions.

To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE