Editor's note: The following piece, by the noted messianic rabbi and teacher, Rabbi Dr. Mark Kinzer describes the philosophy behind the Chayyei Yeshua Besora reading cycle which a growing number of Messianic Jewish synagogues and chavurot are adopting for use in their worship and study.

Rabbi Dr. Mark Kinzer

The Chayyei Yeshua Besora Reading Cycle is based on the conviction that Messianic Jewish life is founded on two intertwined narratives: the story of Israel contained in the Torah, and the story of Yeshua contained in the four Besorot (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

The traditional annual cycle of Torah readings invites us to set our daily life in the context of Israel's founding events - the call of Abraham and Sarah, the exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah, and the journey to Cana'an. Similarly, this new annual cycle of readings from the Besora invites us to see both our own personal stories and the story of Israel in the light of Yeshua's redemptive journey, from his birth to his resurrection.

The cycle begins after Simchat Torah with the birth of Yeshua and his early work, just as the Torah cycle begins with the creation of the world and the call of the patriarchs and matriarchs.

The cycle reaches its climax, with the narrative of Yeshua's death, between the 17^th of Tammuz and the 9^th of Av, when the Jewish calendar enters a period of mourning for the destruction of the temple, and three haftoras of admonition are read. It reaches its joyful conclusion with seven readings related to Yeshua's resurrection, corresponding to the seven Sabbaths between the 9^th of Av and Rosh Hashana, when haftoras of consolation from the latter chapters of Isaiah are read. The cycle thus points us to the truth that Yeshua, as the King of Israel and its representative, embodies in his person the meaning of the temple, the holy city, and Jewish history as a whole. His suffering sums up and purifies Israel's suffering, and his resurrection will bring about Israel's ultimate restoration.