Shabbos Shoutout Jan 8, 2021

Parshas: Vayeilech Vayelech opens with Moses walking through the Jewish camp on the final day of his life to say goodbye to his beloved people. He teaches them the mitzvah of Hakel, the once-in-seven-years gathering of the entire nation to hear the king read certain passages from the Torah. G-d commands that a special Torah,…

Parshas: Korach This week’s Torah portion begins with the infamous rebellion led by Korach against his cousins, Moses and Aaron, claiming that the two of them had usurped power from the rest of the Jewish people. Korach, motivated by jealousy and a desire for honor, rejected Moses’ authority and claimed that the appointment of Aaron…

Parshas Metzora discusses the purification process for the metzora. A metzora was a person inflicted with tzara’as – a skin or hair abnormality caused by certain spiritual illnesses. After the Kohen declares him to be pure, the metzora completes a ritual procedure using two birds, spring water in an earthen vessel, cedar wood, a scarlet…

The book of Exodus begins by describing the gradually increasing enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt. Pharaoh, fearing the population explosion of the Jews, initially hopes that backbreaking labor would stunt their rapid physical growth. When their birth rate continues to increase he orders the Jewish midwives to kill all baby boys. Moses is…