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…
West Texas Intermediate sounds like a school for sixth to eight graders in a county where people wear cowboy boots to their wedding, their work, and their wake, but it actually describes a kind of oil. Even slightly more confusing…
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…
On our most recent vacation, our family went on a trip from the dining room to the living room. We weren’t able to get a direct flight, so instead we had to go the long route, with a short stopover…
Acharei Mot – Kedoshim תשפ This week (if shul were open!), we would read a double portion, Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. The third verse in Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:3) tells us: (ג) אִישׁ אִמּוֹ וְאָבִיו תִּירָאוּ וְאֶת שַׁבְּתֹתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ אֲנִי יְדֹוָד…
We are living through paradoxical times. On the one hand, Baruch Hashem, we have plenty. Supermarkets are stocked with food, our dinner table still has a collage of colors, Amazon is still dropping off packages almost daily. Our homes are…
Tazriah – Metzorah תשפ This coming Shabbat, two portions will be read in Shul (that is, if there were services). The main topic of these two portions is the “metzorah,” one who was stricken with the malady -צרעת “tzaraat” (or…