This week we start the beginning of the end of our 40 year desert sojourn. The parsha (weekly Torah portion) is called Chukat. People normally think it refers to the disciplines in the Torah that do not make sense. However, a closer look at the word gives us a hint of the purpose of these disciplines. The root of the word means, “To engrave.” Hence the purpose of these rules is to engrave or make grooves in our soul; to … Continue reading
This week, we read the parsha (weekly Torah portion) called Korach. This is a very strange parsha. Korach, by-the-way, is the name of a leader of the tribe of Levi who has an issue with the way Moshe (Moses) was delegating authority. Now, for those of you who, like me, like to translate names, Korach comes from the root that means to make bald. It also can mean ice when given a different set of vowels. I say this to … Continue reading
With this week’s parsha (Torah portion), we have officially moved into the realm of problems for our intrepid ex-slaves. The parsha is called Shlach which is the command form of the verb, to send. The parsha starts off with haShem (god) telling Moshe (Moses) to send for himself, men to explore the land of Canaan that haShem is giving to the children of Yisrael. We read the details of who the spies are, and of their trek, and of their … Continue reading
This week we read the parsha (Torah portion) called B’ha’alotcha which means, “When you cause something to be lifted up or raised.” This word is used in reference to Aharon lifting up the candles of the menorah and is part of an idea that haShem (god) is telling Moshe (Moses) to tell to Aharon. HaShem basically wants Aharon to cause the candles of the menorah to be lifted to have their light shine opposite the face of the menorah. We … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (Torah portion) is called Naso which means to raise up or carry. This is because the parsha begins with haShem telling Moshe (Moses) to raise up the heads of the children of Garshone to count/redeem them. Specifically, we are talking of those between 30 and 50 who will come to do the work of the tent of meeting. This is a continuation from the previous parsha, which ended with a count of one of the three families … Continue reading
Welcome to the wilderness. This is the name of the 4th book in the Torah that we started to read this week. It is also the name of this weeks parsha (Torah portion). In Hebrew, we would pronounce it b’meedbar. The other name for this book is Numbers because this is the book where we count the number of people who heard the, “Word of god.” Enough of the theatrics, let’s delve into the book and the parsha. We start … Continue reading
Well it is time again to take a look at the this week’s parsha (Torah portion). This week we say goodbye, not just to a parsha, but also to a book; we finish reading the third book of the Bible, Vayikra (Leviticus). The parsha is called B’chukoti which means, “In my laws,” as in, “If in-my-laws you-all will go,” which is how the parsha begins. So, what happens if we go in haShem’s (god) laws? This is such a good … Continue reading
Hello friends and neighbors, This week, we read the second to last parsha (Torah portion) in the book of Vayikra (Leviticus). This parsha is called B’har which means, “On the mountain.” It is referring to Mount Sinai, which we see from the first verse that reads: And haShem (god) spoke to Moshe (Mses) on mount Sinai saying…” So, what does god tell Moshe to say? He told him to tell the children of Yisrael how to treat the land that … Continue reading
This Shabbat we read a parsha that is near and dear to my heart. It is called Emor which means, “You will say.” It is called Emor because the parsha begins with haShem (god) telling Moshe (Moses), “You will say to the cohanim (priests), the children of Aharon…” What makes this parsha near and dear to me is that the first part of it is all about the priesthood, and since my great, great…great granddaddy was Aharon, it has special … Continue reading
The parsha that we read this week is called Kedushim which is plural for the verb, “To separate,” or, “To make/be holy.” The parsha begins with haShem (god) speaking to Moshe (Moses) and telling him to speak to the entire nation of the children of Yisrael and tell them that they will be holy because, “I, haShem, your god/powers, is holy.” We then read that we should be in awe/fear of our father and mother and observe the shabbats – … Continue reading