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, challenge […]
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 produce. […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, is Beha’alotcha and is found in Numbers 8:1-12:16. In the passage we see a number of events about holiness. God tells Moses to instruct Aaron about lighting the menorah in the Tabernacle. He then tells Moses how he is to purify the Levites and consecrate them to serve in the sanctuary. At […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week 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 […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Badmidbar 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 […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Bechukotai, and is found in Leviticus 26:3-27:34. This parasha finishes the book of Leviticus, or Vayikra. Since the majority of the book focuses on mitzvot and the concept of holiness, it is not surprising that the passage here focuses on the outcome of following these mitzvot: peace and prosperity. The […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Behar, and is found in Leviticus 25:1–26:2. 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, the shemittah, they were not to plant or harvest or to store […]
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 Kedoshim and is found in Leviticus 19:1-20:27. This parasha opens with the global commandment that gives the Torah portion its name: “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” and many of the Torah’s basic teachings are to be found in these two chapters. It highlights […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Achrei Mot and is found in Leviticus 16:1-18:30. In this passage God instructs Moses about the Yom Kippur rituals during which the High Priest was to cleanse and purify the sanctuary from the effects of the sins of the Israelites. Only on that holiest of days was Aaron permitted […]