Parsha haAzinu: The Poem that is the Torah

We are about to enter into Rosh haShanah, and shabbat comes in on its coat-tails.  So, while we are getting ready for the Jewish new year, and while there is still time, I want to take a moment to look at this week’s parsha (the Torah portion read on shabbat).  It is called haAzinu. HaAzinu means, “Your ears,” and is the first word of this week’s parsha.  If you recall from the end of the previous parsha, Moshe (Moses) was … Continue reading

Parsha Emor: Paying Attention Now or Pay Later

This week’s parsha (Torah portion) is an interesting one.  It starts off talking about all the restrictions to a Cohen (priest), like who they can marry, who they can bury, or that only an unblemished Cohen can actually perform the sacrificial service.  It talks about how pure a Cohen must be in order to eat from the sacred food (here are my ideas on “pure and impure” from a parsha we read a few weeks ago ), and to bring … Continue reading