The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Ha’atzinu and is found in Deuteronomy 32:1-52. In this portion, Moses recites the poem God had instructed him to write down and teach to the people. This passage is often referred to as the Song of Moses, which is his last message to the people before he dies and Joshua […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Nitzavim-Vayelech and is found in Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30. It is the passage traditionally read before the High Holy Days and prompts us to reflect on our actions and choices. In this parasha, we hear Moses’ last message to the people. Moses reminds the people that they are entering into a covenant with God […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Ki Tavo and is found in Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8. In this parasha the people are reminded that, once they are settled in the land, each Israelite farmer is to bring a portion of his first fruits to the central sanctuary. Standing before the priest, he recites the declaration expressing gratitude for all the […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Shoftim and is found in Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. In this parasha, Moses reminds the people of God’s admonition to appoint judges and officers in the all their communities to insure the administration of justice. “Justice, Justice, shall you pursue that you may thrive and occupy the land the Lord, your God, is […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Re’eh and is found in Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17. In this parasha, Moses reiterates the parameters of the covenantal relationship God sets before the people. In particular, the people are admonished to abolish idols and not sacrifice at Canaanite shrines, but worship only God. Moses also reminds the people of the importance of […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Vaetchanan and is found in Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. In this parasha, Moses continues his speech to the people, giving them the first of several exhortations in the passage about the importance of obeying God’s commandments, with particular emphasis on the prohibition of idolatry. Moses again exhorts the people to study and […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Devarim and is found in Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22. In this parasha we begin the book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim, which, in Hebrew which means “words”. In Numbers or Bamidbar (“in the wilderness”), we end with the people getting ready to enter the land of Israel. They pause at the border where Moses will not be crossing over […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Matot-Masei and is found in Numbers 30:2-36:13. This Torah portion first talks about vows made by women (vows made by men were addressed in an earlier Torah portion). If a women makes a vow but her father (while she is living home and too young to leave) or her […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Pinchas and is found in Numbers 25:10-30:1. In this passage, we have two primary stories. In the first, Midianite women have entered the Israelite community to encourage the men to engage in idol worship and related sexual practices. God responds by sending a plague upon the people. Pinchas, the grandson of […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Chukat-Balak and is found in Numbers 19:1-25:9. In the first part, Chukat, the people again complain about a lack of water saying that they should have died when Korach and his followers died, and that Moses should never have brought them out of Egypt. Moses and Aaron bring the complaint […]