The parsha (Torah portion) of this week is named Korach. Korach was a leader of the tribe of Levy (the tribe of Moshe/Moses and Aharon), and he opened his mouth questioning the need for Moshe to be the leader, and Aaron should be the high priest. He isn’t the only one that opens his mouth. With him are 250 elders, including two from the tribe of Reuven, who feel oppressed by Moshe. And of course we have the mouth of … Continue reading
[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
I am not a Jew. What a shocking thing for me to say considering my last name is Cohen and I went to Israel to study Torah in orthodox yeshivas. However, the name Cohen is the give-away: I am from the tribe of Levi, not the tribe of Judah. Now, some of you might think I am being nit-picky about this. And some of you might be wondering what I am talking about. So, let me try to explain. Once … Continue reading