Last week was the beginning of our fearless heroes try to break the iron clasp of Pharaoh, king of Egypt! The Torah left us with our fearless leader, Moshe (Moses) asking haShem (god) what good he was doing, and haShem replying to just wait and see; the fun is about to begin. Well, the fun begins in this week’s parsha (Torah portion) which is called Va-ayra which means, “And I appeared.” It starts with god telling Moshe that he appeared … Continue reading
This week we begin the second of the 5 books Moshe (Moses) transcribed from haShem (god). The book is called Shmot (Exodus), which is also the name of this week’s parsha. It begins with a very quick history of how the family of Yisrael came to be in Egypt and how they came to be enslaved. It then tells us of Moshe’s birth and how he came to flee Egypt and meet god in a burning bush. HaShem tells Moshe … Continue reading
This shabbat we close the book on creation. Ok, it is really the book of Breisheit (Genesis), but it includes the creation of not just the world, but also the family tradition of the children of Yisrael. Before we say goodbye to this book, let’s review its final parsha (weekly Torah portion). The parsha is called Vayichi which means, “And he lived.” This is referring to Yaakov (Jacob) who, the Torah tells us at the beginning of this parsha, lived … Continue reading
The parsha (Torah portion) we read this shabbat is called Vayigash and means, “And he approached,” because our parsha starts with Yehuda (Judah) approaching Yoseph. If you recall from the previous week, Yehuda had promised to safely return Benyamin to Yaakov (Jacob) and then Yoseph’s chalice was found in Benyamin’s bag. The parsha ended with Yoseph telling the brothers that Benyamin was staying as a slave, while the rest of them were free to go. This week’s parsha starts with … Continue reading
Welcome to the Hanukah parsha (Torah portion of the week). Isn’t it funny that we always happen to read this same parsha every time Shabbat falls during Hanukah? I wonder how that happens? 😉 Anyway, the parsha is called Meekaytz which means, “From the end,” as in, “And it was from the end of two years…” which is how the parsha begins. Essentially we are two years after the cup-bearer gets his job back and Yoseph has been forgotten in … Continue reading
Happy Hanukah everyone, This shabbat, we read the parsha (Torah portion) called Vayishev which means, “And he sat,” as in, “And Yaakov (Jacob) sat in the land of the journeys of his father, in the land of Cnaan,” which is the first verse of the parsha. I tend to look at the usage of the word sitting, in the way English uses the word squatting. Squatting means more than just sitting. It also means to sit in a place in … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (Torah portion) is called Vayishlach, which means, “And he sent.” The parsha begins with Yaakov (Jacob) sending messengers/angels (the same word in Hebrew means both angels and messengers) to his brother telling him he was returning home and asking for favor in Asov’s (Esau) eyes. When he hears that Asov is coming with 400 men, he gets scared and divides his camp into two, talks with god, and sends lots of gifts to Asov. The same night … Continue reading
It’s time to get out! Well, it is for Yaakov (Jacob). That is according to how this week’s parsha (Torah portion) begins. The parsha is called Vayetze which means, “And he went out,” and is referring to Yaakov leaving on his trip to his uncle’s house. On the way he dreams of a ladder with angels going up and down and haShem (god) standing over him and introducing himself to Yaakov. After making a vow, Yaakov continues on his way … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (weekly Torah portion) is called Toldot which means generations, as in, “These are the generations of Yitzhak (Isaac),” which is how the parsha begins. It seems a little strange to call this parsha, “Generations,” considering it really only focuses on one generation: the two sons of Yitzhak, Asov (Esau) and Yaakov (Jacob). If any of you out there want to read one idea on this subject, I invite you to look back to what I wrote for … Continue reading
This Shabbat we read the parsha (Torah portion) called Chaiye Sarah or the life of Sarah. It is a very ironic name for the parsha considering that the parsha begins with her death. Sarah dies and Avraham proceeds to buy a cave near Chevron to bury her. After Avraham takes care of the business of burying Sarah, he starts to work on the next order of business: getting Yitzhak (Isaac) married. To this end, he sends his trusty servant Eliezer … Continue reading