Parshat Chukat תשפ This week’s Torah reading is the double portion of Chukat and Balak. This essay, however, discusses only Chukat, the literal translation of which is “the edict of,” and, in context, “This is the edictחק) ) of the…
Parshat Korach This week’s Torah portion is named for Korach, the great and holy man who fomented a rebellion against Moshe. Although Jewish history characterizes Korach as the example of one who created a rebellion for his own selfish reasons,…
Parshas Shlach This week’s Torah portion’s concluding paragraph (Shelach, Numbers 15:37-41) commands us to affix tzizit (“fringes”) to most four-cornered garments that men wear. The commandment is fulfilled by wearing a large טלית - talit when praying shacharit, the morning…
Behaalotcha תשפ On the night of the 15th of Nissan, 3,332 years ago, the Jewish people fulfilled the mitzva of eating matza for the first time at the seder. After eating the afikomen (dessert - a piece of the Pascal…
Parshat Naso These were exciting times for the Jewish people. Almost a year has passed, and it was again Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the month in which they left Egypt. So much has happened in such a short time. First they…
Shavuot תשפ This coming Friday (starting Thursday at nightfall) and Shabbat, the Jewish people in the diaspora will celebrate the festival of Shavuot. Shavuot, the 6th of Sivan, is the day that the Jewish nation stood at the foot of…
Bamidbar תשמ This coming Shabbat we begin reading the Torah’s fourth book, Bamidbar, Numbers, so called because in this book the Jewish people are counted twice. This took place on the first day of Iyar (the second month– Nissan is…
Bahar – Bechukotai תשפ In Parshat Bechukotai (the second of the two portions that should be read if there were Shul this week), Hashem promises the Jewish people that if they keep His commandments, they will receive every blessing in…
Emor תשפ This week’s portion, Emor, contains the mitzvah to count the omer (Leviticus 23:15,16). (טו) וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה: (טז) עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁבִיעִת תִּסְפְּרוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה…