My Goal for Torah Reflections is to share the beauty in God’s words. And to show that His commandments aren’t burdensome, old, or scary. Instead, they are inviting, beautiful, and full of life and love.

Theresa Joy

I’m the voice behind Torah Reflections. Growing up, I always knew I was different. People often called me shy, soft spoken, and the quiet one. It wasn’t until I was in my 40’s that I discovered I was autistic.

Autistic people often have special interests we pursue with intensity. Mine is תּוֹרָה (Torah).

I always wondered why I could sit for hours, sometimes days, hyper-focusing on one topic. If you tell me about a blue butterfly, and I didn’t know butterflies could be blue, I will go home and start researching. By the time I’m done, I’ve learned everything about butterflies in general.

Being able to hyper-focus is a trait that helps me research and study the Bible deeply. It is what also led me to create Torah Reflections, to share all my research and studies with you, as well as my personal walk and reflections.

As far as my beliefs? Well, where would I even begin?

Growing up, I was raised in a Christian home by my father, whom I dearly love and miss. I was taught to understand who God and the Messiah were through the beliefs and understanding of my parents. I grew up believing in the Trinity, thinking that the commandments of God were old and no longer important to keep. I went to church on Sundays, ate unclean animals with no second thoughts, and kept traditional Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter. This was the belief system that I loved and knew as a way of life.

Eventually, I came across a YouTube video about a decade ago on the origins of Christmas. This led me down a path of seeking truth, which is where you find me today. Today, my beliefs look drastically different than the Christian life I once lived. Today, I am a Karaite Jew. It has been a difficult journey deconstructing from Christianity to Judaism, but a beautiful one at the same time.

I am looking into a formal conversion to Reform Judaism, as they align more with my views on non-Talmudic practices.

Torah Reflections is my quiet corner on the internet, away from all the arguments and chaos of social media. I hope you will join me as we study the Torah, and other topics, one post at a time.