Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyishlaḥ, December 14, 2024
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyishlaḥ, December 14, 2024 (Comprising Genesis 32: 4 – 36: 43) A Tenth of One Prayer On the eve of his return to the land of Canaan, Jacob learned that his brother Esau, who had previously …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyetze, December 10, 2024
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyetze, December 10, 2024 Covering Genesis 28:10 to 32:3 Thoughts on a Ladder In this week’s reading, Jacob leaves his family’s home in Beer-sheba bound for Haran. Stopping for the night at a certain place, he …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyera’, November 16, 2024
(Genesis chapters 18-22) “Abraham and Job” The Torah’s account of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son Isaac has raised questions among readers since ancient times. Among other things, commentators wondered why God needed to test Abraham in the first place. …
Weekly Torah Reading, Lekh-Lekha, November 9, 2024
This week’s reading contains one particularly puzzling episode. After Abraham has arrived in Canaan, a famine strikes the land, and he and his wife Sarah are forced to travel down to Egypt in search of food. (Egypt, with the …
Weekly Torah Reading, Noaḥ, November 2, 2024
Genesis 6:9 – 11:32 The Broken Tower This week’s Torah reading ends with a brief incident, the building of the Tower of Babel. According to the biblical text, the ragtag band of humanity (apparently all of it) arrived at some …
Weekly Torah Reading, Rosh ha-Shanah, October 3-4, 2024
It’s an interesting fact that the Hebrew name for the Jewish New Year, Rosh ha-Shanah, never occurs in the Torah, In fact, this name for the New Year’s festival never occurs anywhere in the whole Bible. Rather, the Torah refers …
Weekly Torah Reading, Shofetim, September 7, 2024
Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9 Holding Out for Fairness This week’s reading opens with the subject of courts and the proper administration of justice. Judges and other officials are to be appointed in all your [city] gates, that is, in …
Weekly Torah Reading, Re’eh, August 31, 2024
Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 Don’t Form Groups This week’s reading contains an odd interdiction: “You are children of the Lord your God,” God says. “You shall not gash yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead” (Deut 14:1). Ancient …