sst1924 / Deuteronomy, Torah /
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Va’etchanan 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 this parasha about the importance of obeying God’s commandments, with particular emphasis on the prohibition of idolatry. Moses again exhorts the people to study […]
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 at home and too young to leave) or her husband […]
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 Aaron, stops […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Korach and is found in Numbers 16:1-18:32. In this parasha, Korah and his followers challenge the authority of Moses and Aaron – and indeed of God’s own self – by claiming that Moses is giving himself special status and raising himself above the people. Datan and Aviram, members of Korah’s […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Sh’lach and is found in Numbers 13:1-15:41. In this parasha, Moses sends 12 spies, one from each tribe, to scout the land of Canaan and bring back a report of the conditions the Israelites will find there. After 40 days the spies return, bringing their report of the good land and samples of its […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, is Nasso and is found in Numbers 4:21-7:89. The passage contains several events. First, Moses finishes the census of the Levite families and everyone is given instructions on their responsibilities to temple service. The next section talks about how people who have committed crimes, are suspected of adultery, or have made a […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Emor and is found in Leviticus 21:1-24:23. God instructs Moses to teach the priests the laws that apply to their special status. No kohen (priest) may come into contact with a dead body, the principal source of ritual impurity, other than members of his immediate family – parents, children, […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Acharei-Mot-Kedoshim and is found in Leviticus 16:1-20:27. The parasha begins with a detailed description of the Yom Kippur ritual conducted by the high priest. The sanctuary is purified, and the priest in his elaborate vestments atones for himself, his household, and the community of Israel by means of special sacrifices. […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Tazria-Metzora and is found in Leviticus 12:1-15:33. God instructs Moses and Aaron about tzara’at, a scaly skin disease traditionally translated as “leprosy” but clearly not the condition we call leprosy today. When a person developed a rash or other signs of skin disease, the priest was to examine it and determine if […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Shemini and is found in Leviticus 9:1-11:47. In this parasha, God tells Moses and Aaron to instruct the people about the animals they are permitted to eat. Land animals must have cloven hooves and chew their cud. Animals that have only one of these signs and therefore are not permitted […]