Lepers and the ‘Leper Messiah’ The parashas this Shabbat are Tazria and Metzora, meaning “when she gives birth” and “concerning lepers”, covering Leviticus 12-15. The larger theme is separation – distinguishing clean from unclean. It’s a bit ironic that this parasha occurs while we find ourselves in a time of mandated isolation, not just of […]

The parasha for this Sabbath is entitle Shemini, meaning (Eighth) and it is from the Book of Leviticus 9:1-11:47. Looking back on last week’s parashah, we saw that the people were summoned by Moses and the sacrifices were brought to the altar and burned before the Lord. The tabernacle and its utensils were all anointed […]

This week’s Torah portion is called Tzav.  It covers Leviticus, Chapter 6:8 – Chapter 8:36.  Tzav means, “command.” This Torah portion is the culmination, the fulfillment, of the instructions that God gave Moses 6 Torah portions ago, in Parasha Tetzaveh, regarding the priestly ordination. Leviticus, Chapters 6 and 7 are an extension of the explanation […]

This week’s Parasha is called Vayikra, which means “and he called”.  It Covers Leviticus chapter 1 through chapter 6:7. In these chapters, we will be covering five sacrifices that El Gabor, Mighty God,  required of the Jewish people. The first sacrifice is the burnt offering, followed by a grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, and […]

The name of this week’s double parasha is Vayakhel-Pekudei: Vayakhel means “and he assembled,” and Pekudei means “amount.”  It covers Exodus 35:1-40:38 and describes the importance of the Sabbath; the instructions for constructing the Tabernacle and everything connected with it; and the instructions for setting up the Tabernacle. Chapter 35 opens with Moses stating the […]

This week our parasha is Tetzaveh which means “you shall command” and covers Exodus 27:20 – 30:10. This parashas cover the unique garments, food, and anointing for the priests (Cohanim) as well as the altar of Adonai and the sacrifices. We begin at the end of Exodus 27 with the command from Adonai for the Priesthood to […]

The parasha for this Shabbat is entitled Ki Tissa, meaning “When you take or carry out (having to do with the taking of a census)” and covers Exodus 30-34. Included in this section of the Torah is the command to anoint with sacred oil the tent of meeting, the altar and its tools, and Aaron […]

Shabbat Shalom, this week’s parasha is Terumah, which means, “contributions,” and covers Exodus 25:1-27:19. This passage discusses the building of the tent of meeting. This is where God is going to speak to our people. However, before that happens, the materials to build it must be acquired. God tells Moses to take a contribution from […]

The parasha for this week’s Sabbath is entitled Mishpatim, which means “Judgements.” It covers Exodus 21:1 -24:18. These were the first laws Adonai gave his people after the giving of the Ten Commandments, in Exodus 20. These laws give practical application of the Decalogue in daily life. These laws are called “judgments” or rulings. They […]

This week Parasha is Yitro, which means Jethro and covers Exodus chapters 18 1-20:23 Chapter 18 tells us about Jethro, who was a priest of Midian and Moses father-in-law. Jethro comes to meet Moses with Moses wife Zipporah and his two sons.   Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, he bowed down and kissed him.  […]