Parshas Nitzavim – Vayelech
Nitzavim begins with Moses gathering every member of the Jewish people for the final time. He initiates them into a Covenant with G-d as the Almighty’s ‘Chosen People’. This Covenant applied not only to...
Category: Parsha
Parshas Devarim +
Devarim — Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:11 This week we begin the fifth and final book of the Torah, Deuteronomy. This book is also called Mishna Torah, “Repetition of the Torah” – thus the Greek...
Parshas: Va’eschanan +Shabbo Nachamu
Parshas: Va’eschanan Moses continues his final speech to the Children of Israel. He tells them how he entreated G-d to allow him to enter the land of Israel, but his request was denied. Moses...
Parshas: Matos — Masei
Parshas: Matos — Masei In the first of this week’s two action-packed portions, Moses teaches the rules and restrictions governing oaths and vows. Promises are serious business. When we say that we plan to...
Parshas Pinchas and the Three Weeks
Parshas Pinchas In last week’s Torah portion we found the Jewish hero Pinchas saving the day for the Jewish people by publicly executing the Jewish tribal head, Zimri, and his Midianite girlfriend, Kazbi. Those...
Parshas: Chukas, Balak and The Three Weeks
Parshas Chukas This week’s action-packed portion begins with the paradox of the Red Heifer, a mitzvah we are asked to perform though unable to understand its purpose and reason. The narrative jumps to the...
Parshas Behar/Bechukosai
Behar focuses primarily on mitzvos concerning the land of Israel, beginning with the command to observe a Sabbatical (Shemitta) year. During the Sabbatical year one’s fields are to remain uncultivated every seventh year, refraining...
Parshas Vayakhel – Pekudei
This week we read the final portion of Exodus, a book which began with the Jewish people enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt and now ends with the completion of the construction of the Mishkan...