Parsha Chukat: The Red Hefer of the Torah

Hello folks and welcome to the latest installment of ideas I have had or heard regarding the weekly torah portion… This week’s parsha (portion) jumps 38 years as we go into the last year of being in the wilderness.  However, before we get there, we read about how the ashes of a red cow can make a not pure person pure while making a pure person not pure.  Right after the details on how this process works, we read about … Continue reading

Parsha Korach: Who has the Biggest Mouth in the Torah?

The parsha (Torah portion) of this week is named Korach.  Korach was a leader of the tribe of Levy (the tribe of Moshe/Moses and Aharon), and he opened his mouth questioning the need for Moshe to be the leader, and Aaron should be the high priest.  He isn’t the only one that opens his mouth.  With him are 250 elders, including two from the tribe of Reuven, who feel oppressed by Moshe.  And of course we have the mouth of … Continue reading

What is a Blessing?

Being a Cohen or priest in the family tradition of the sons of Yisrael, or what is commonly referred to as Judaism, blessings are a favorite topic of mine.  Back when I lived in Jerusalem, orthodox Jews, when they found out I was a Cohen, would ask my to bless them.  Also, every day, during the morning prayers, the Cohanim would bless the congregation.  And at the Kotel (the western wall), during the week of Pesach (Passover) and Succot, hundreds … Continue reading

Parsha B’ha’alotcha: The Right Way to Complain

I am constantly surprised each week at the parsha (weekly Torah portion) because there is always so much there. This week’s parsha is yet another example of this: there are the teachings I have learned in the past, two wonderful teachings I heard recently, and a few more that I discovered as I read the parsha. I don’t know yet which I will share here and now. let’s see and find out. The parsha starts out with Aharon being told … Continue reading

How Do I Get Faith in God?

Recently I have been in the market for an external hard drive for my computer. Last week I received an email from a local computer store for 66% discount on a 2 terabyte drive. I thought this was great and a few days later, I went to the store to buy it. When I got to the store, I grabbed the last drive they had and went to the cashier with my coupon. The manager came over and said the … Continue reading