Moses
Weekly Torah Portion: Vessels in the Service of God
Chapter 8 in Leviticus discusses the anointing of Aaron and his sons as priests in the Tabernacle and the anointing of the Tabernacle itself. The process is very detailed. The first step is the...
Weekly Torah Portion: God is a Gracious Host
The closing chapters of the Book of Exodus complete the section that deals with the construction of the Tabernacle. The last verses are particularly interesting. Then the cloud covered the Tent...
Weekly Torah Portion: A Generous Heart
This week’s Torah portion opens with Moses’ instruction to the Children of Israel to donate items for the construction of the Tabernacle and its various vessels. It echoes the very similar...
Weekly Torah Portion: A Man, not a Superhero
This week’s portion begins with the commandment to conduct a census among the Children of Israel through the donation of a half shekel. Other commandments follow, but the focus of the portion is...
Weekly Torah Portion: An Ally to the Children of Israel
This week's portion begins with Jethro's historic visit to the Children of Israel in the desert. The story begins in Exodus Chapter 18: "Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of...
Weekly Torah Portion: God and Israel at War
This week’s Torah portion begins with the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt and ends with the war against Amalek. And war is a theme that runs through this week’s portion in a very...
Weekly Torah Portion: The Wisdom of Miriam
The first portion of the Book of Exodus is one of transformation – the children of Israel, the family of Jacob, become the "Hebrews" and the Children of Israel, with a national focus. The family of...
The Portion of V’Zot Habracha
V’Zot Habracha is the final portion of the Torah. In it, Moses blesses each of the tribes, as is customary in the Bible for parents to bless their children before dying. When Moses is done, God...
The Portion of Haazinu
The portion of Haazinu contains the song mentioned in last week’s portion, which God told Moses to teach the Children of Israel so they would always understand the consequences of their actions. It...
The Portion of Pinchas
Our portion picks up where last week’s left off, in the aftermath of a plague. Phineas is blessed by God for his actions and a new census of the people is taken. The brotherless daughters of...