Hello everyone, Once again it is time for our visit with the week’s parsha (Torah portion). This week’s parsha is called T’tzveh which can mean you will command and/or you will join. The parsha starts with haShem (god) talking to Moshe (moses) and saying, “atah t’tzveh” or, “You will command/connect the children of Yisrael and they will take to you pure pressed olive oil for lighting the eternal candle.” Someone, once pointed out to me that this is a unique … Continue reading
What strikes me as I read this week’s parsha (weekly Torah portion) was how I have been seen the first two books of the Torah: Genesis (Breshiet in Hebrew) and Exodus (Shmot in Hebrew). In Breshiet I found myself seeing some little aspect within a parsha, while in Shmot I am finding much larger themes; themes that exist over many parshas. I don’t know why that is. At the moment, I just find it an interesting observation. If anybody out … Continue reading
I almost wasn’t going to write anything for this week’s parsha (weekly Torah portion) because I didn’t have any new ideas coming to me as I was reading. Then, in the morning, haShem (god/dess) blessed me with a clue as to one thing that last week and this week’s parshas, together, might be trying to teach us. This week’s parsha is filled mostly with laws, actions and consequences, so it is a very practical one. And why not? After all … Continue reading
Hi everybody, Hope you all are in good spirits this week. In this week’s parsha (Torah portion), we finally make it to Mount Sinai and have the most amazing high: we all get to hear the Creator of the Universe speak to us. And this is what she said: I am haShem (the 4 letter name of god meaning: what was, is, and will be – the master of everything) your god, who has taken you out of the land … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (Torah portion) is called b’shalach, and it finishes off the pharaoh and Egypt portion of our story. And likewise, we will conclude the discussion on the breaking of habits that control us. After all, if pharaoh represents the part of us that wants to keep us enslaved to a habit, it would make sense that his destruction signifies the destruction of whatever is keeping us from being free. But that is not all that happens in the … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (portion) was called “Bo” in Hebrew which means come. The name comes from the first sentence of parsha that says: “And haShem (god) said to Moshe (moses), “Come to pharaoh because I have caused his heart to be heavy, and the heart of his servants, for the sake of my two signs that I am bringing close.” I have heard a lot of talk about why use the word “come” instead of the word “go.” Before I … Continue reading
As I read the parsha (Torah portion of the week), I am struck by all the repetition. It seems like every time we turn around, God (haShem) is telling Moshe (Moses) or Moshe and Aaron to raise the staff up to create a plague, or to tell pharaoh to let haShem’s people go to serve him even though, Hashem tells them, that pharaoh will not do it. And pharaoh’s heart keeps being set against the idea of sending the people. … Continue reading
Hi everybody, Welcome to the second book that Moshe/Moses wrote: Exodus, or the Hebrew name Shmot which means names. Why is it called names? Well, that is a story for another day. Today I wish to look at the overall story that we read last week. It starts out by naming all the tribes/children that follow Yaakov/Jacob down to Mitzrayim, which is the Hebrew word for Egypt. We then have a new king who does not know about Yoseph/Joseph and … Continue reading