What an exciting shabbat we are going to have this shabbat! The parsha (weekly Torah portion) we will read includes haShem (god) actually talking to us. Imagine being in a group of 600,000+ looking up from the base of a smoking, shuddering mountain, with the sounds of shofars (ram’s horn horns) trumpeting, and hearing/seeing the voice of god talking to each and every one of us… However, I get ahead of myself, for this is near the end of the … Continue reading
The Torah really does not have a beginning and an ending. Today (Sunday) is the end of Succot, and on its heals is Simchat Torah which means, “Happiness of Torah.” On Simchat Torah we finish reading the Torah, and start again to read the Torah. We also dance with the Torah and celebrate simultaneous endings and beginnings. If there was only one thing to learn from the Torah, then this cycle would be a circle. However, when you read the … 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
Torah, Torah, Torah, Torah…. Why do I say Torah 4 times? Because with this week’s double portion, we finished book 4 of the 5 books of Torah our man Moshe (Moses) wrote. So, how do we finish the book called Numbers in English and Bamidbar, which means wilderness or speaking, in Hebrew? The first of the two parshas (portions) is called Matot in Hebrew, which means staffs or tribes. It starts off by talking about oaths and vows. We then … 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
I am constantly surprised each week at the parsha (weekly Torah portion) because there is always so much there. This week’s parsha is yet another example of this: there are the teachings I have learned in the past, two wonderful teachings I heard recently, and a few more that I discovered as I read the parsha. I don’t know yet which I will share here and now. let’s see and find out. The parsha starts out with Aharon being told … Continue reading
This week, we start the 3rd book of the Torah: Vayikra (Leviticus). This week’s parsha (Torah portion) gets into the blood and guts of sacrifices. It is not one of the prettier parshas, but it is an important one nevertheless because it tells us how we can redeem ourselves when we sin, not just as a person, but also as a community or a community leader, including the high priest and the king. One of the things I like about … Continue reading
Hi y’all, Today is the first day of the first month of the year. Yeah, I know Rosh haShanah (the Jewish new year – literally: head of the year) is the new year, but I am just telling you what it said in one of the two parshas (weekly Torah portions) that we read this week. For those who don’t know, the Jewish calender is lunar based and needs to add an extra month every other year or so to … Continue reading