The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Ki Teitzei and is found in Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19. This parasha is rich in reminders of mitzvot–religious obligations we perform that in turn, bless God. In fact, over 70 mitzvot are named in this passage. Many of these mitzvot are actually righteous and just actions we do for others and not directly to God. […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Shoftim and is found in Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. In this parasha, Moses reminds the people of God’s admonition to appoint judges and officers in the all their communities to insure the administration of justice. “Justice, Justice, shall you pursue that you may thrive and occupy the land the Lord, your God, […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Eikev and is found in Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25. In this parasha Moses reiterates to the people that if they obey the commandments God will reward them. With God’s help, they will destroy the Canaanite nations, paying particular attention to wiping out all their idols. Moses calls on the Israelites to remember […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Devarim and is found in Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22. In this parasha we begin the book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim, which, in Hebrew, means “words”. In Numbers or Bamidbar (“in the wilderness”), we end with the people getting ready to enter the land of Israel. They pause at the border where Moses will not be crossing over with […]
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 home and too young to leave) or her husband forbids […]
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, […]
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. God tells […]
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, 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. […]