Parsha Noach: The Man of Rest

The weekly Torah portion (parsha) for this week was called Noach which means rest. Why was Noach given that name? Perhaps because he, and his entourage of family and animals, as well as the land itself, did nothing but rest during the year of the flood. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s see what was in the parsha. The parsha starts off by saying that Noach was a righteous and simple man in his generations, and that he … Continue reading

Parsha Bamidbar: Welcome to the Speaking Wilderness

[Editor’s note:  I originally wrote this in 2004, for an email list regarding the weekly Torah portion.  I deliberately put it out after shabbat because, the energy of the parsha does not end with shabbat – it only starts to wane with the ending of shabbat.  Think of the shabbat as the full moon for the parsha.  It builds starting Wednesday until shabbat  where it is at maximum strength.  Then, after shabbat, the energy of the parsha wanes as the … Continue reading