Hello and welcome to the days of returning. We are now in the 10 days between Rosh haShanah (head of change in Hebrew) and Yom Kippor (Hebrew for day of atonement. It is also called Yom haKipporim which means: the day like Purim). These 10 days are called days of repentance, however the Hebrew word for repentance, tshuvah, really means an answer or a return. You see, on Rosh haShanah we invoked the beginning of change. Now we are in … Continue reading
Hello everybody, It is almost Rosh haShanah and I wish you were here. 🙂 The parsha (weekly Torah portion) we we are reading this week is called Nitzavim, which is Hebrew for, “To stand,” and the parsha begins with Moshe (Moses) telling us how everyone, from the highest elder, to the wood-cutter and water-carrier is standing today before haShem (god) in order to pass into the covenant and become a nation for god, and have haShem be our god/power. Moshe … Continue reading
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
The name of this week’s parsha (Torah portion) is called Aykev which can mean the “heel” or “as a consequence of.” For what I wish to talk about today, I think I prefer the latter. This parsha is the 3rd installment of Moshe’s last words to the people. In it, Moshe (Moses) tells the people that following haShem’s (god’s) ways will provide wealth and health and a bountiful land and victory over more powerful peoples. He goes on to describe … 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
Recently I was talking to a Native American. She is part of the Selitz tribe. She reminded me a little bit of a typical American Jew. She told me about a few “superstitions” that she was taught growing up, like a person should not look out a window at night because of evil spirits. However, she said that it was ok to walk outside at night, and she did not understand why looking is a problem, while going out would … 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