Weekly Torah Reading Terumah March 4, 2017
A Garden Built by Humans This week’s reading contains God’s instructions for the building of the mishkan, the traveling tabernacle (i.e., a big tent) in which the Israelites will offer sacrifices to God. Hardly a detail is left unmentioned. …
Weekly Torah Reading, Mishpatim, February 25, 2017
Is Abortion Legal? This week’s reading contains numerous laws governing various aspects of daily life. At first, some of these might seem far removed from our own daily lives. You’re probably not going to sell your daughter into slavery …
Weekly Torah Reading, Yitro, February 18, 2017
Two Tablets Ancient readers asked a question about the Ten Commandments, one that occurs to few people nowadays: Why did they need to be written on two stone tablets? One rectangular tablet certainly would have been sufficient—in fact, archaeologists …
Weekly Torah Reading Beshallaḥ February 11, 2017
Two Great Songs This week’s reading prominently features the Song of the Sea—the song that the Israelites sang after their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15). For this reason, this Shabbat is also known as Shabbat Shirah, …
Weekly Torah Reading, Bo’, February 4, 2017
With a Heavy Heart Among the not-so-brilliant sermons I’ve heard over the years was one about this week’s Torah reading, Bo’. “The Almighty,” the rabbi began, “says to Moses, bo’ el par‘oh, ‘Come to Pharaoh.’ He doesn’t say ‘Go …
Weekly Torah Reading, Va’era, January 28, 2017
“Can I Get that in Writing?” The first two verses of this week’s reading have long posed a problem for interpreters. God says to Moses, “I am the LORD [here the text uses God’s special name, written with …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayḥi, January 14, 2017
His Father’s Countenance In this week’s reading, Jacob, near death, assembles his sons to give them his final words. These are commonly known as “Jacob’s blessings,” but in fact Jacob has some harsh things to say to some of …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyiggash, January 7, 2017
The Wagons Tell the Tale When Jacob’s sons returned to Canaan to tell their father the good news—that his long-lost son Joseph was still alive—at first he didn’t believe them. Why should he? If what they were saying now …