Torah Talks – Parsha Noach

Moses informs the Jewish people that we each face a choice; choose to observe G-d’s directions for living (i.e. the Torah) and receive blessings, or choose to ignore G-d and experience estrangement and its consequences. Moses then turns to describing a number of religious, civil, and social laws relevant once the Jewish people enter the…

Jacob escapes from his wicked brother Esau and travels to Charan, where he will stay with his uncle Laban. While spending the night at the future site of the Temple, G-d appears to Jacob in a dream. Rich in symbolism and meaning, the dream depicts a ladder extending from heaven to earth upon which angels…

This Shabbos marks the beginning of our reading the third book of the Torah, Sefer Vayikra which deals primarily with the services and responsibilities of the Kohanim. This week’s portion focuses on many of the korbanos (offerings) to be brought in the newly-constructed Mishkan. Parshas Vayikra begins with G-d calling Moses into the Mishkan where…

Parshas Tazria This week’s parsha describes in great detail the varying manifestations of the disease called tzara’as. Although it has commonly been mistranslated as leprosy, this skin disease bears little resemblance to any bodily ailment transmitted through normal exposure. Rather, tzara’as is the physical manifestation of a spiritual malaise, a punishment from G-d primarily for…