This week’s parasha is a double-portion, entitled Tzav and Shemini, covering Leviticus 6:8 through 11:47. Tzav means “command” because Adonai commanded Moses how various offerings were to be carried out. And in turn, Moses commanded Aaron and his sons how to carry out their priestly duties. Shemini, means “the eighth,” referring to the eighth day […]

This week our parasha is Vayikra which translates to “And He Called” and covers Leviticus 1:1-5:19.  This parasha contains five types of offerings to the Lord and begins the book of Leviticus, which outlines many commandments concerning the Priesthood. When we approach a section of Scripture like this parasha, I think there is a tendency […]

This week our parasha is Pekudei which translates to “the amount or number”.  Pekudei is the last parasha of Exodus and covers Exodus 38:21- 40:38.  This week we will see the establishment of the Tabernacle and the priestly garments that we have discussed these past weeks. Since we are ending Exodus, I will also be […]

This week’s parasha is called, VaYakhel, which means, “and he assembled.”  It covers Exodus Chapter 35:1 – 38:20.  This parasha covers the actual building of the tabernacle and its implements as well as the altar of sacrifice and the courtyard of the tabernacle.  The instructions for building the tabernacle, the implements and the courtyard were […]

This week’s parasha is entitled Ki Tisa, meaning “When you take ” and it covers Exodus chapter 30:11 through 34:35. It opens as Adonai says to Moses, “When you take a census of the people of Israel each one counted must pay a half shekel” it would be an offering, a ransom for their souls. […]

This week’s parasha is Tetzaveh, meaning, ‘You shall command,’ and covers Exodus 27:20- 30:10.  At the end of chapter 27, the oil is mentioned for the golden lamp or menorah that sits in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle.  Pure olive oil was to be used in this lamp, and it was to burn day and night […]

The name of this week’s Parasha is Mishpatim, which means “Judgments”, and it takes us from Exodus 21:1-24:18.  Moses gave the Jewish people specific instructions on how to treat Jewish slaves.  These slaves were to be released in the 7th year of their servitude and a man could take his wife with him if she […]

This week’s Torah portion is titled Yitro or in English, Jethro. It covers Exodus 18-20:23.We learned in the preceding Torah portions that after some 400 years of slavery, the Lord had freed the Jewish people from the bondage of Egypt. Three weeks after departing from Egypt, the nation of Israel find themselves in the wilderness […]

This week our parasha is Beshalach which means “When He let go”. Besalach covers Exodus 13:17-17:16 and picks up where Bo left off.  In this parasha we see our people testing the Lord and every time He demonstrates He is a perfect and holy God.  In our testing of the Lord we expose our sinful […]

This week’s Parasha is entitled Bo which in Hebrew is the command form of “come” and covers Exodus 10:1 – 13:16 In the previous Parasha, due to the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart, the first seven of ten plagues were unleashed on the inhabitants of Egypt. We now pick up in Chapter 10 where Adonai commands […]