The parsha (Torah portion) we read this week is quite a doozy. After being told, in earlier parshas, to remove the inhabitants of the holy land because they behaved poorly, we are now told what will happen to us if we behave poorly. It is not pleasant, but then I am getting ahead of myself. The parsha starts off innocently enough with the description of the ritual of bringing the first fruits to the temple. It then goes on to … Continue reading
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Don’t be so judgmental. Judge fairly. Ladies and gents, here comes the judge… The name of the this week’s parsha (Torah portion) is called Judges (or Shoftim in Hebrew), and it is a seemingly haphazard, hodgepodge, patchwork parsha. Let’s see what kind of theme we can find in it! It starts out talking about appointing judges and how they should be honest. It then talks about idolatry and how to find someone guilty … Continue reading
So, how did you all answer the big question? Yeah, I’m talking about the question in the title: Are you willing to commit? This is the big question that starts this week’s parsha (weekly Torah portion). Ok, it isn’t really a question; it is really instructions to the ritual of choosing between a blessing and a curse. So, I started by asking you a trick question, for the question doesn’t really get asked until we go into the land, which … Continue reading
Imagine that you have been told that you have a terminal illness and that you will die in exactly one year. How does this make you feel? Now, imagine one year has gone by. It is the night before the day of your death. All your affairs are in order. You’ve made a will and made amends, and had time to tell the people that you love how you feel. You lie down in your bed and as you drift … Continue reading
hello everyone, Last week’s parsha (weekly Torah portion), we listened to Moshe review our journey from Mount Sinai to the edge of the promised land. In this week’s parsha, Moshe (Moses) talks about haShem (god) turning down his request to enter the land, all that haShem has done to get the people to this point, what will happen if the people forget haShem, which cities east of the Jordan are safe havens for unintentional murderers, the 10 statements (commonly referred … Continue reading
Hello everybody, This week we start the final chapter in the drama that we call the Torah. The book is called D’varim (Deuteronomy) which means “words” in Hebrew, for these are Moshe’s (Moses) final words to the family of Yisrael before they go and take the land haShem (god) has promised them. This week’s parsha (weekly Torah portion), btw, is also called D’varim. 🙂 So, what does Moshe tell the people? Before I start, remember that he is talking, not … Continue reading
Hello everyone, Welcome to the whacky world of Torah where things are not as they seem. This week’s parsha (weekly Torah portion), at the beginning, seems one way, and then ends another way. It is called Balak, and we start talking a lot about him. That, however, is only to introduce our main character Bilim, who is hired to curse the children of Israel. However, he tells his employer, Balak, that he will only do what haShem (god) tells him. … Continue reading
Hello folks and welcome to the latest installment of ideas I have had or heard regarding the weekly torah portion… This week’s parsha (portion) jumps 38 years as we go into the last year of being in the wilderness. However, before we get there, we read about how the ashes of a red cow can make a not pure person pure while making a pure person not pure. Right after the details on how this process works, we read about … Continue reading
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
Being a Cohen or priest in the family tradition of the sons of Yisrael, or what is commonly referred to as Judaism, blessings are a favorite topic of mine. Back when I lived in Jerusalem, orthodox Jews, when they found out I was a Cohen, would ask my to bless them. Also, every day, during the morning prayers, the Cohanim would bless the congregation. And at the Kotel (the western wall), during the week of Pesach (Passover) and Succot, hundreds … Continue reading