Weekly Torah Reading Tetsavveh April 20, 2016
Clothes Made the Kohen This week’s Torah reading describes the special garments to be worn by the kohanim (priests) in the Temple. Those garments were no minor detail. In ancient Israel, clothes made the kohen; he couldn’t serve in …
Weekly Torah Reading Terumah February 13, 2016
“Lifted Up” Trying to understand a word by examining its origins can be risky; guided by wishful thinking, the procedure often results in misinterpretation. So I hope I am not falling into this trap in thinking about the Hebrew …
Weekly Torah Reading, Mishpatim, February 6, 2016
Watching for Free This week’s reading is full of different rules and regulations: the Hebrew slave who wants to remain a slave; a pregnant woman onlooker at a brawl who is accidentally struck by one of the fighters; …
Weekly Torah Reading, Yitro, January 30, 2016
Honoring Your Semi-Divine Parents 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 ordinary-sized tablet would have been sufficient—in fact, …
Weekly Torah Reading, Beshallaḥ (January 23)
“Stop that Singing!” When the Israelites left Egypt, they initially did so “with hand held high” (Exod 14:8), that is, proudly, defiantly. But then Pharaoh changed his mind. After having told the Israelites that they were free to go, …
Weekly Torah Reading, Bo’, January 16, 2016
Pharaoh’s 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 to Pharaoh’— …
Weekly Torah Reading, Va’era, January 9, 2016
“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 the …
Weekly Torah Reading Shemot January 2, 2016
A Firstborn Son God first appeared to Moses at the burning bush on Mount Horeb, in Midian, where Moses had been shepherding his father-in-law’s flocks. God instructed Moses to go back to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh free the enslaved …