Parsha Key Tisa: Untranslating Torah

The parsha (Torah portion) that we read this shabbat is called Key Tisa which means, “When you lift/raise.” Now that we have finished the parsha that Moshe is not mentioned (click here for an explanation), the Torah immediately says that haShem (god) is talking to Moshe (Moses).   HaShem is telling Moshe that when he raises up the heads of the children of Yisrael to count them, that person needs to give an atonement for his soul so that a plague … Continue reading

Parsha B’shalach: A Patient Torah

The parsha (weekly Torah portion) is called B’shalach and it means, “And it was when he sent.”  It beings with Pharaoh finally sending us on our way, out of the womb of Egypt and through the sea of Reeds to a new life. After Pharaoh did this, god did not lead the children of Yisrael the short way through the Philistines because he she wanted to avoid having them see war.  Instead they go into the wilderness of the Yam … Continue reading