Today is the first day of the first month of the year. Yeah, I know Rosh Hashanah is the new year, but I am just telling you what it said in one of the two parshas that we read this week. For those who don’t know, the Jewish calender is a lunar calender. In order to keep the month of spring in the springtime, an extra month getss added 7 times every 19 years. Every week, a portion of the … Continue reading
This year I had a quiet Purim. The last 3 or 4 years I have thrown seudas (Jewish parties celebrate a success and are centered around a meal). This year I just invited a few close friends and sat around a fire in my backyard. At first something felt wrong and I realized it was because I wasn’t in costume. So, I put my costume on and as I sipped some whiskey I truly felt the spirit of Purim. I … Continue reading
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
This week we read from the hidden parsha (weekly Torah portion), which is appropriate considering it is the parsha that is read either just before or right on (when we are not in a leap year) the most hidden of Jewish holidays: Purim. What is hidden and hiding? If you all are really nice, and truly believe in faeries, maybe I’ll tell you. 😉 But, before I do, I want to let you know that the parsha we read is … Continue reading
Purim is almost upon us. It starts at sunset Wednesday March 4 and goes until sunset on March 5. It is a day to dress up, give away food (to friends) and money (to anyone and everyone who asks), and get so drunk you cannot tell the difference between, “blessed is Mordechai (the good guy),” and, “Cursed is Haman (the bad guy).” At first glance, this doesn’t sound very Jewish, does it? Wait, there is more… Can you believe that … Continue reading
Hello fellow builders, The parsha (weekly Torah portion) we read this shabbat is all about haShem (god) telling Moshe (Moses) how to build the mishcan (tabernacle). It starts with haShem telling Moshe to tell the children of Yisrael to take for god a trumah (raising-up) offering from every man that has a desire in his heart to volunteer. The parsha is called Trumah for this reason. HaShem gives Moshe a list of the things that can be given for the … Continue reading
If you are looking for a sentence or two on the parsha (weekly Torah portion), you have come to the right place. After all, this week’s parsha is called Mishaptim which means sentences or judgements. In our case, it is referring to judgements on how to act, otherwise known as laws. However, they are called judgements and not laws for a reason. Perhaps I will explain that later. But first, the summary… If you recall from the end of the … Continue reading
This week is a really big week, full of fireworks and lights and revelations. Strangely enough, the parsha (weekly Torah portion) we read on shabbat is called Yitro (Jethro), which has nothing to do with Mount Sinai or even the giving of the Torah. Yitro is the name of a priest from Midian, who just happens to be Moshe’s (Moses) father-in-law, and who drops in to say hello, catch up on some news, and give some fatherly advice to Moshe. … Continue reading
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
The parsha (weekly Torah portion) that we read this week is called, “Bo,” which means, “Come” in Hebrew. The parsha begins with god telling Moshe (Moses) to come to Pharaoh, along with an explanation of why Pharaoh’s heart has been made heavy. Moshe and his brother, Aharon, then come to Pharaoh and tell him to send out the children of Yisrael. If he doesn’t, locusts will come onto the land and eat up all the remaining vegetation (what remained from … Continue reading