Here comes the judge! This is what this week is all about. You see, this week’s parsha (Torah portion) is called Shotfim which means, “Ones who judge.” The parsha starts out by talking about the judges and policemen that we appoint for ourselves. These folk are to judge the nation righteously, and not take bribes because bribes blinds eyes and perverts the words of the righteous. Justice is what we are to pursue in order to live and settle the … Continue reading
The parsha (weekly Torah portion) we read this shabbat is called Aykev which can mean, “Heel,” or, “To follow,” as in, “And it will follow you listening to these mishpatim (judgements)…” which is how the parsha starts. So, what will happen if we listen? Well, the parsha goes on to say, not just listen, but also observe and do them. And, if we do these things, then haShem (god) will guard for you, the brit (covenant), and the kindness that … Continue reading
In this week’s parsha (Torah portion), we have plenty of excitement and thrills and chills. Let’s check it out. The parsha is named after the first word, vaetchanan, which means, “And I pleaded or beseeched,” because the parsha continues Moshe’s (Moses) history lesson to the nation by telling them how he beseeched haShem (god) to let him come into the land. HaShem denies the request and instead tells Moshe to climb a mountain and see the land. God also tells … Continue reading
This past Tuesday was the 17th of the Jewish month called Tammuz and was a fast day. It was the day the walls of Jerusalem were breached. It begins a mourning period that culminates three weeks later on the 9th of the month of Av, the day that Jerusalem actually fell. A lot more happened on these two days, and perhaps those events will be fuel for another email. I hope all of you that fasted had an easy and … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (Torah portion) is a strange one. Moshe (Moses) sends 12 men into the land to spy on it and its inhabitants. They come out and their report causes a national hysteria which leads to a 40 year sojourn in the desert until all the men die off. The Torah then goes into a discussion about sacrifices, and we finish with a man getting stoned to death for breaking shabbat and a law regarding the wearing of tzitzit … Continue reading
Hello all you wilderness seekers, That’s right, we have finally made it into the book of the wilderness. This shabbat we will read parsha (weekly Torah portion) B’meedbar (which means wilderness in Hebrew), and this pasha also happens to be the first parsha of the fourth book of the Torah. This book has the same name as the parsha, but is called Numbers in English because it begins and ends with a census of all the tribes. Let’s wander into … Continue reading
This week is a special parsha. We finish up the third book written by the hand of Moshe (Moses): Vayikra (Leviticus), and it is also another double parsha. The first parsha is called B’har which means, “At the mountain,” as in, “And haShem (god) spoke to Moshe at Mount Sinai saying.” The name of the second of our parshas is called B’chukoti which means, “In my laws,” as it says in the first verse of the second parsha: If you … Continue reading
Tonight is a peaceful night after a beautiful day here in Eugene. This shabbat (Saturday) we read a parsha (weekly Torah portion) called Emor which means, “Tell.” Why? Because the parsha begins with haShem (god) telling Moshe (Moses) to TELL to the priests, the sons of Aharon a whole lot of things such as not to become tamae (mixed) by the soul of a member of the nation. The implication here is that the soul means when a person dies … Continue reading
We are on a roll. This week is our second double parsha (weekly Torah portion) in a row. It is called Acharai-Kedushim, though some call it Acharai mot-Kedushim. The reason for the extra word is because the first word, acharai, means after, and some people feel that is not a distinctive enough word. The second word means death. The name of the second of our two parshas is called Kedushim which is the plural form of the verb, “To separate … Continue reading
This week we have another of our famous double parshas (weekly Torah readings) and it is called Tazria-Metzora. Tazria is the name of the first parsha and means, “She will cause seed to be sewn.” Metzora is the name of the second parsha and refers to a person who has Tzaraat which is a spiritual malady and often mistranslated as leprosy. Seeing as we had our first double parsha a few weeks ago, I think I will go straight into … Continue reading