Rico Cortes of Wisdom in Torah Ministries

Rico Cortes of Wisdom in Torah Ministries Wisdom in Torah Ministries was founded in 2005 by Rico Cortes in Florida, USA.

Rico's intense passion for God's commandments and desire to serve Him has led Rico to minister to believers all across the globe.

Yom Kippur begins tonight and continues through tomorrow—a sacred time to humble ourselves, examine our hearts, repent, ...
09/20/2026

Yom Kippur begins tonight and continues through tomorrow—a sacred time to humble ourselves, examine our hearts, repent, and return to the Father.

Biblical atonement speaks not only of pardon, but also of cleansing, restoration, and renewed covenant faithfulness. May this appointed time deepen our gratitude for the Father’s mercy and the work of Yeshua.

May you have a meaningful fast.

G’mar chatimah tovah—may your final sealing be good!

With Yom Kippur tomorrow, there is an important question we should be asking:If the Torah already provided atonement and...
09/20/2026

With Yom Kippur tomorrow, there is an important question we should be asking:

If the Torah already provided atonement and forgiveness on Yom Kippur, why did Yeshua still have to die?

Last year, I shared a teaching that addressed this question in a way that profoundly strengthened my own faith. As we approach Yom Kippur, I believe its message is especially timely and worth revisiting.

On this appointed day, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and made atonement for Israel. Leviticus 16 tells us that even the nation’s pesha—its rebellion against God—was addressed.

But what exactly did that atonement accomplish?

The service of Yom Kippur cleansed the sanctuary from the impurities, iniquities, and rebellions of Israel. It preserved sacred space and restored the covenant relationship between God and His repentant people.

But the earthly sanctuary had a limitation:

It could cleanse the Temple, but it could not eliminate death.

This is where the message of Hebrews becomes so powerful.

Yeshua did not come to abolish the Torah or make the Temple meaningless. His work followed legal patterns that God had already established:

Blood represents life.
Ransom provides release.
The death of the high priest could release someone from the consequences of a crime.
Yeshua gave His life as “a ransom for many.”
As our heavenly High Priest, He entered the greater sanctuary and obtained eternal redemption.

The blood was not magical. It represented the life that God accepted as a ransom—life for life.

Through Yeshua’s death and resurrection, God accomplished what the earthly sanctuary could never accomplish: deliverance from the dominion of death and restoration to the presence of the living God.

When we understand Yom Kippur, pesha, Leviticus 17:11, Numbers 35, and Hebrews 9 together, the role of Yeshua as Messiah, mediator, ransom, and High Priest becomes much clearer.

As we prepare our hearts for Yom Kippur, I invite you to watch—or revisit—this complete teaching. It may help you see the appointed day, the Temple service, and the work of Messiah from an entirely deeper perspective.

Please share it with someone who is sincerely seeking to understand why Yeshua had to die.

Watch the full teaching here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImiPsTEgBks

“Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations.”— Deuteronomy 32:7Ha’azinu calls us to remember—to lo...
09/18/2026

“Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations.”

— Deuteronomy 32:7

Ha’azinu calls us to remember—to look back and recognize the faithfulness of God throughout every generation.

Shabbat gives us that sacred pause. Before beginning another week, we stop and remember where He found us, how He carried us, and how many times His mercy sustained us when we did not even realize it.

May we never become so busy enjoying His blessings that we forget the One who gave them.

Shabbat Shalom, family!

09/16/2026

What really happened during the biblical holy convocations? Join Rico Cortes and Joseph Good of Hatikva Ministries for an insightful discussion exploring the rituals, Temple worship, priestly service, and covenant meaning connected to God’s appointed times. Discover how ancient Israel observed these sacred gatherings and why understanding their biblical and historical context still matters today.

What does the Bible really mean when it says someone will be “cut off”?I have read that language in the Torah many times...
09/15/2026

What does the Bible really mean when it says someone will be “cut off”?

I have read that language in the Torah many times, but the deeper I have studied it, the more I have realized that we may be dealing with something far more serious than simply being removed from a community or suffering a physical punishment.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Donald J. Wold, author of Destiny of the Defiant, whose research on the biblical concept of kārēt — “being cut off” — goes back decades.

One part of our conversation really stayed with me: there is an important difference between someone who sins and recognizes his need to repent, and someone who becomes defiant—who knows, refuses to humble himself, refuses to repent, and deliberately rejects the covenant relationship God is offering.

That distinction changed the way I began looking at passages in Leviticus, Numbers, Hebrews, and even Revelation.

But this conversation is not simply about judgment.

It is also about mercy.

Dr. Wold said something during our discussion that I hope people really hear:

“God’s wrath is always wrapped in the mantle of His mercy.”

That is what moved me the most. Understanding the seriousness of rebellion should not cause us to run away from God—it should make us understand just how extraordinary His mercy, forgiveness, and redemption really are.

This was one of those conversations that made me stop, think, and appreciate the Scriptures in a deeper way. I believe it will do the same for many of you.

Watch the full conversation here:
https://youtube.com/live/JovDIJiv5Bg?feature=share

After you watch it, I would really like to hear your thoughts: What have you always understood “cut off from his people” to mean?

What if Leviticus is not a book of ancient rituals to avoid—but the key to understanding the entire Bible?For many years...
09/14/2026

What if Leviticus is not a book of ancient rituals to avoid—but the key to understanding the entire Bible?

For many years, people have approached Leviticus as a difficult collection of sacrifices, purity laws, and priestly instructions. But the more I study it, the more I see something deeply personal at its center: an invitation from the King.

Exodus ends with the glory of God filling the Tabernacle—and even Moses is unable to enter. Then Leviticus begins with God calling Moses and explaining how His people may draw near.

That changes the way we read everything.

Leviticus teaches us what it means to live in the presence of God. It explains sacrifice, atonement, purity, sacred space, covenant faithfulness, justice, compassion, and the relationship between worship and the way we treat others.

It also provides the foundation for understanding the Prophets, the Gospels, Paul, Hebrews, and Revelation. If we overlook Leviticus, we miss much of the biblical language those writers expected their readers to recognize.

But what has touched me most is this: God’s presence was never meant simply to push people away. The instructions reveal His desire to dwell among His people and provide a way for them to approach Him.

Even now, through Yeshua, the King continues to invite us to draw near.

Leviticus is not merely a manual of ancient ceremonies. It is the theological heart of the Torah—and, in many ways, a love letter revealing the holiness, justice, mercy, and character of God.

I invite you to watch the full teaching and begin this journey with me:

https://youtube.com/live/cptG7usk6Nw?feature=share

If this message helps you see Leviticus differently, please share it with someone who desires a deeper understanding of Scripture.

ISRAEL 2026 — COME WALK THE LAND WITH USThere is something different about reading the Bible while standing in the Land ...
09/14/2026

ISRAEL 2026 — COME WALK THE LAND WITH US

There is something different about reading the Bible while standing in the Land itself.

This November, we’re planning a journey through Israel focused on Scripture, archaeology, history, geography, the Temple, and the world behind the text.

Not just seeing places — but understanding them.

📅 November 15–29, 2026

If Israel has been on your heart for a while, take a look at the tour and see if this might be your time to go.

👉 https://wisdomintorahevents.com/israel_tour/

Come experience the Bible where it happened.

Rico Cortes

Tonight we enter a beautiful and meaningful moment: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Teruah, and Shabbat together.Rosh Hashanah, the “...
09/11/2026

Tonight we enter a beautiful and meaningful moment: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Teruah, and Shabbat together.

Rosh Hashanah, the “head of the year,” reminds us that Scripture marks time in more than one way, and this season became connected with the counting of years, including the Sabbatical and Jubilee cycles.

At the same time, the Torah calls us to Yom Teruah—a day to remember, to hear the sound of the shofar, and to acknowledge our King.

It reminds us that we do not stand before the King only as individuals, but as a people called to remember His covenant and respond to His voice.

May we look back with gratitude, look forward with hope, and remember the faithfulness of God.

And for us believers in Yeshua, the shofar also points us toward redemption, resurrection, and the coming of the King.

Shabbat Shalom, Shana Tova, and Yom Teruah Sameach.

09/09/2026

What does it really mean when the Bible says someone will be “cut off”?

Join Rico Cortes and Dr. Donald J. Wold for an in-depth conversation about Destiny of the Defiant and the biblical concept of kārēt—one of the most serious forms of divine judgment found in the Hebrew Bible.

In this discussion, they examine the meaning of kārēt, deliberate or “high-handed” sin, covenant rebellion, holiness, divine judgment, and the consequences of knowingly defying God. Dr. Wold’s research explores whether being “cut off” refers simply to exclusion or physical death—or whether the biblical evidence points to something far more serious involving a person’s ultimate destiny.

This conversation will be especially valuable for anyone studying the Torah, Leviticus, Numbers, biblical theology, covenant, sin, atonement, judgment, and the ancient biblical world.

Subscribe to Wisdom in Torah for more conversations on the Torah, Temple, ancient Near Eastern context, biblical history, archaeology, covenant, and the cultural world of Scripture.

👍 If this discussion helps you, please like, share, and leave a comment with your thoughts.

What do you think “cut off from his people” means in the biblical text?

09/08/2026

Why is the Book of Leviticus so important for understanding the Bible? In this teaching, Rico Cortes explores how Leviticus provides the biblical foundation for holiness, sacrifice, priesthood, atonement, purity, sacred space, covenant, worship, and justice.

Discover why understanding Leviticus is essential for correctly interpreting the Torah, the Prophets, the Gospels, Hebrews, Revelation, and the larger biblical story.

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