Why do so many good intentions fall apart right after they begin?
Why does motivation collapse just when the work gets real?

There’s a moment no one warns you about—the place where excitement fades, resistance grows, and quitting feels justified. This message names that place and explains why you must pass through it to experience real growth.

Whether you’re pursuing spiritual maturity, physical health, calling, or faithfulness as a disciple of Yeshua, this teaching will help you recognize the process, silence the inner voice of escape, and learn how to move forward when everything in you wants to stop.

You’re not failing—you’re in the Valley.

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

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We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!

Genesis ends. Exodus begins. But the story isn’t just about leaving Egypt — it’s about becoming something new. Before Moses ever confronts Pharaoh, he makes a quieter, riskier decision when no one else will act. Was this moment impulsive… or foundational to his calling? What does Torah expect when injustice unfolds right in front of us? And what does it mean to “be a man” when no one else is willing? As God begins forming Israel into His covenant bride, we’re forced to ask an uncomfortable question: would we rise to the occasion — or look the other way? Join me to explore why this moment matters… in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

If you get value from our work, please
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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!

Jacob was renamed Israel—but did he ever truly live as Israel?
In this teaching, we explore how regret reshapes memory, distorts identity, and quietly becomes the lens through which we tell the story of our lives. Drawing from Parashat Vayechi, the life of Jacob, and the example of Joseph, we confront a haunting question: are we surviving, or are we truly living? Why do we cling to pain even after God has called us forward? And what does it mean to finally let go of Jacob and embrace Israel?
Join me as we wrestle with memory, identity, and the courage to live redeemed.

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

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We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!

Vayechi begins unlike any other parashah in the Torah—without a break, without a pause, without space to breathe. Our sages insist this detail is anything but accidental. Could blessing itself sometimes conceal danger? Could success, legacy, or even prosperity quietly dull our spiritual awareness? From Jacob’s final words to the haunting end of Genesis, this portion forces us to ask whether every blessing truly leads us toward life—or subtly away from it. What happens when momentum replaces discernment? Let’s explore why not all blessings are equal… in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

If you get value from our work, please
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Text "GIVE" to (706) 739-5990

God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!

Jacob stood before Pharaoh blessed, chosen, and carrying God’s promises — yet when asked about his life, he spoke with regret.
Why do painful memories so often outweigh blessings?
Why does loss feel more honest than gratitude?
And how can a life marked by God’s faithfulness still feel “few and evil”?

This teaching confronts the subtle danger of regret — how replaying the past reshapes memory, distorts identity, and quietly poisons the life we were meant to live. Drawing from Torah, psychology, and lived experience, we explore why regret feels safer than gratitude — and what it’s costing us.

Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

If you get value from our work, please
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Text "GIVE" to (706) 739-5990

God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!

What happens when the brother you betrayed turns out to be the one who holds your life in his hands?
When Joseph says, “Ani Yosef — I am Joseph,” terror fills the room before healing ever begins. Why doesn’t Joseph seek revenge? How does bitterness give way to redemption? And what does Judah’s willingness to step forward teach us about repentance and transformation?
In this week’s 5 Minute Torah, we explore Parashat Vayigash and the moment everything changes—for Joseph, for his brothers, and for Israel’s future.
Join me to discover why this choice between bitter or better still matters today—in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

If you get value from our work, please
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Text "GIVE" to (706) 739-5990

God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!

Why did Joseph put his brothers through suffering when God never told him to?
Where is the verse that commands Joseph to test them—and what does its absence reveal about forgiveness, trauma, and reconciliation?

This teaching wrestles honestly with one of the most emotionally charged moments in the Torah. Is Joseph seeking revenge, justice, or healing? Why does he weep again and again? And what does his story teach us about seeing those who wounded us—not through fear or resentment, but through love?

Joseph’s journey forces us to ask a hard question:
Are we willing to truly see… and be seen?

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

If you get value from our work, please
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Text "GIVE" to (706) 739-5990

God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!

Nearly every year, Parashat Mikeitz is read during the festival of Hanukkah — but is that just a calendar coincidence? Or is there a deeper connection we’re meant to see? Joseph stands before Pharaoh as a lone candle in the darkness of Egypt, refusing to claim credit and shining God’s light instead. Centuries later, Judah Maccabee stands against a crushing empire with the same radical trust in Heaven. What unites these two moments — and what does it reveal about the kind of light we’re called to shine today?
Join me to discover why… in this week’s 5 Minute Torah.

Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

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God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (#Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings

If you get value from our work, please
consider Supporting Shalom Macon

https://www.shalomacon.org/give

-- Ways to Support Shalom Macon --

Our Website | https://www.shalomacon.org/give
Tithe.ly | https://tithe.ly/give?c=329563
PayPal | giving@shalomacon.org
Text "GIVE" to (706) 739-5990

God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue.

Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

We thank you for joining us, Shabbat Shalom!