The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Balak and is found in Numbers 22:2-25:9. In this passage, Balak, the king of Moab, sees that the Israelites have defeated the neighboring Amorites and he is afraid. He joins forces with the Midianites to hire the prophet Balaam, asking him to curse the Israelites to insure their defeat. […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Chukat and is found in Numbers 19:1-22:1. In this passage, the people continue to struggle with wilderness living. Miriam dies along the way and is buried in Kadesh. Soon after, the people again complain about a lack of water. Specifically, their complaint is that they should have died when Korach […]
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 Himself – by claiming that Moses is giving himself special status and raising himself above the people. Datan and Aviram, members of Korah’s faction, […]
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 […]
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 vow […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Bamidbar and is found in Numbers 1:1-4:20. This week we leave Leviticus behind and move on to the book of Numbers. The first parasha rightly focuses on…numbers. God instructs Moses to take a census of the people. The men of military age 20 years and older are counted. The totals […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Behar-Bechukotai and is found in Leviticus 25:1-27:34. Once they had settled in their land, the Israelites were to plant, harvest, and store the produce of their fields for six years. During the seventh year of the cycle, they were not to plant or harvest or to store produce that […]
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 a double selection 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 […]