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 […]
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 […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Tzav and is found in Leviticus 6:1-8:36.Last week’s parasha gave a description of the different types of sacrifices and their uses. Parashat Tzav provides instructions on how the kohanim (priests) are to offer the various sacrifices. We also learn that the zevah sh’lamim, the offering of well-being, was to be brought for three reasons […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Vayikra which is also the name of the third book of Torah commonly known as Leviticus. Leviticus is often called Torat Kohanim, literally “teaching of priests”. The parasha, found in Leviticus 1:1-5:26, focuses on the various kind of sacrifices or offerings: The first category of offerings, is the olah, […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Pekudei and is found in Exodus 38:21-40:38. In this closing portion of the Book of Exodus – Parashat Pekudei – the mishkan, or portable Tabernacle, is now completed. An inventory of the metals that had been contributed to the Sanctuary is given as well as a head count of the number […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Vayakhel and is found in Exodus 35:1-38:20. In this parasha, Moses assembles the entire Israelite community and asks them to bring their gifts, materials for building the mishkan–the portable sanctuary in the wilderness– and for those who have the needed skills to come forward to perform the work. When the […]