Torah Reading, April 25, 2015
Weekly Torah Readings, April 25 In Israel this week: Aharei-Mot and Kedoshim This week we read two combined portions, “Aharei Mot” and “Kedoshim.” Perhaps the most famous verse among all those to be read is Lev 19:18, “You shall …
Torah Reading, April 18, 2015
Please note: Starting this Shabbat and continuing for the next month, the Torah readings within Israel and outside Israel will be out of sync with one another. The reason is that outside of Israel, last Shabbat was still part of …
The Seventh Day of Pesah—April 10, 2014
“My Father’s God” After God had miraculously caused the Red Sea to split in two, the Israelites walked across it in safety; but when the Egyptian soldiers sought to pursue them, the waters returned to their former state, drowning …
First Night of Passover, April 3, 2015
The whole reason for having a seder is to fulfill the Torah’s commandment to teach our children about the exodus and the Israelites’ miraculous path from slavery to freedom. Presumably, this commandment could be carried out in a sentence or …
Parshat Tzav (Leviticus 6-8) March 28, 2015
The Shabbat preceding Passover (Pesah) is known as Shabbat ha-Gadol, “the Big Sabbath.” A number of imaginative reasons have been put forward for this name, but in truth it seems to have arisen from the practice of reviewing in public …
Weekly Torah Reading: Parshat Vayyikra
(Lev 1-5:26) March 21, 2015
Nowadays it is customary for someone who converts to take on a new first name in Hebrew—Abraham is a common choice for men and Sarah for women. The point is that changing one’s name suggests breaking with one’s former life, …
Parshat Vayyakhel-Pekudei (Exod 35-40) March 14, 2015
The Torah devotes a bit more than four consecutive weekly readings to the construction of the mishkan, the portable sanctuary that the Israelites utilized during their wanderings in the wilderness. This is an awful lot for what was, in essence, …
Parshat Ki Tissa (Exodus 30:11-34:35) March 7, 2015
Moses was on Mt. Sinai for forty days and forty nights, during which time God revealed to him the various laws and regulations to be included in the Torah. But as this period dragged on and Moses remained on the …