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 […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week depends on whether seven or eight days are celebrated for Passover. For those celebrating eight days, the Torah portion is still on Pesach and is from Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17 where God commands the Israelites to: (1) eat meat only of Kosher animals, (2) set aside tithes from flocks and field […]
The Torah reading for this week is found in Exodus 12:21-51 and it focuses on the Passover Story. Moses has repeatedly asked Pharaoh 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 […]