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 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 opposite outcomes […]
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 […]
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 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 to […]
sst1924 / Exodus, Ketuvim, Torah /
Since Shabbat is the first day of Passover, the Torah reading focuses on the Passover Story. Moses has repeatedly asked Pharoah to let God’s people go and Pharaoh’s stubbornness continues. Moses announces the final plague – the death of the firstborn – to Pharaoh, but once again Pharaoh doesn’t listen. God then tells Moses to […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Metzora and is found in Leviticus 14:1-15:33. The passage is a continuation of last week’s portion about tzara’at. God gives Moses instructions for the rites of purification and the sacrifices that the m’tzora (person afflicted with tzara’at, or potentially contagious skin diseases) must bring in order to complete the […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Tazria and is found in Leviticus 12:1-13:59. 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 […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Shmini 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 […]