The Reading for Today: Deuteronomy 29:9—30:20
Moses begins to bring his long speech to a close. He keeps his message very simple: “Choose life that you may live.”
But you might say, “Of course, I am choosing life everyday when I get up. I don’t want to choose death!” In some sense the choice between the two might be very clear, but still there are thoughts and actions that we do that can mean that we are making life greater, or making it less. Some thoughts have LIFE in them, while others have “death,” in the sense that they don’t tend to make life better, but worse. Criticism of others, thoughts of revenge and get back, keeping angers inside our hearts: these are the kinds of personal choices that we make that are towards death, rather than towards life. Keep an eye on your thoughts to see which way they go!
Version for Children and Families
Saturdays are dedicated to the Sabbath Torah portions
read in synagogues throughout the world.
This plan follows those traditions that take a third of the portion
over a three year cycle, this year, the second part.
For more about the Torah portions and thoughtful commentaries, visit
The Jewish Theological Seminary.
The Firestarters and readings are posted in the timezone UTC+12, so that they are available in New Zealand and other regions near the International Date Line.
The Bible Through the Seasons 