This week’s Torah portion is titled Behaalotecha, it covers Numbers 8:1 – 12:16. Behaalotecha translates to English as “when you raise or elevate.” The portion begins with instructions regarding the lighting of the seven branched candelabra. This being the gold candelabra that stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.  Aaron, the first High […]

Today’s Torah portion is entitled Naso. The verb can be translated to lift, to take or to carry. For the purposes of this parasha its primary meaning is to “take”, derived from the opening verses where the Lord instructs Moses to take or naso a census. Our parasha covers Numbers 4:21-7:89. To summarize, the parasha […]

This week we begin the book of Numbers with Parashat Bamidbar which translates to “In The Wilderness”.  This parasha covers Chapter 1 through Chapter 4:20. These chapters contain censuses, encampment instructions, and duties for the special tribe, the Levites.  While Bamidbar contains no commandments it is still an interesting and important parasha. Numbers begins with […]

This week’s Parasha is B’chukotai and brings us to the conclusion of the book of Leviticus, covering chapters 26 and 27. In chapter 26 Adonai outlines the blessings for obedience and punishments for disobedience.  These blessings and curses depended on whether or not Israel would keep the Covenant that Almighty God gave His people. In […]

This week’s parasha is called Behar.  It covers Leviticus, Chapter 25:1 through Leviticus, Chapter 26:2.  This is one of the shortest parashas of the year as it only covers one chapter, but yet it contains information about some very important observances for the Jewish people.  For some of the information used in this parasha, I […]

This week’s parasha is entitled Emor which means speak. It is taken from Leviticus chapter 21:1 and extends through chapter 24:23 it covers several subjects: the priesthood, the sacrifices and the holidays; but it has one theme that ties it all together, The theme of holiness. The God of holiness, demands  holiness from His people. […]

This week’s Parasha is called Kedoshim and covers Leviticus 19:1-20:27. Chapter 19 reviews some of the Ten Commandments and includes a strong reminder that our lives are to be characterized by holiness. In fact, God states clearly, “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy”. God speaks as the Holy One, […]

Our parasha for this Shabbat Gadol is entitled Acharei Mot, meaning “after the death,” referring to the demise of Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu who entered the Holy Place with unauthorized offerings and were struck down by God. It spans Leviticus chapters 16 through 18. The subject matter of chapter 16 is Yom Kippur – […]

The name of this week’s Parasha is M’tzora, which means “lepers”, and it takes us from Leviticus 14:1-15:33. Adonai gave Moses instructions on the procedure for cleansing from leprosy in chapter 14. A person healed from leprosy must appear before the priest with two living clean birds and cedar wood, scarlet, yarn and hyssop. One […]

This week’s parasha is titled Tazria and covers Leviticus 12 and 13. Tazria translates to English as “T”. The parasha begins with the ceremonial cleansing a woman would undergo after giving birth. If a woman gave birth to a male child, she would be unclean for 7 days.  On the 8th day the baby boy […]