Matot (Numbers 30, 2 – 32, 42) – the Bible is Zionistic but not anti-diaspora
There is a remarkable passage in the Torah reading of Matot in which the tribes of Reuven and Gad have a discussion with Moses concerning the conquering of the…
Pinchas (Numbers 25, 10 – 30, 1) – is zealotry the way of God in the Biblical conception?
At the end of the previous Torah reading of Balak, Pinchas, who is a priest, takes a spear and stabs to death an Israelite man and Midianite woman, without due…
Balak (Numbers 22, 2 – 25, 9) – the Biblical opposition to magic and sorcery
The central figure of the Torah reading of Balak is not Balak, the king of Moab, but Bilaam, the sorcerer - and, the Torah reading of Balak is actually…
Chukat (Numbers 19, 1 – 22, 1) – do commands of God that are seemingly without reason require blind obedience?
The Torah reading of Chukat opens with the laws of the red cow, which are regarded in the Jewish tradition as among the most mysterious of the laws of the…
Korach (Numbers 16, 1 – 18, 32) – peace above truth as the essence of an argument for the sake of Heaven
In the Torah reading of Korach there is a rebellion against Moses and Aaron led by Korach, Datan and Aviram (Numbers 16, 1-3). Actually, there appears to be two separate…
Sh’lach (Numbers 13, 1 – 15, 41) – the sin of the spies
The Torah reading of Sh’lach opens with a story that stands out in the Bible - the story of the sin of the spies. Their sin in bringing an evil…
Beha’alotcha (Numbers 8, 1 – 12, 16) – Judaism is belonging to a nation and not a race
There is a widespread misconception that the Jewish people is a race. In the Torah reading of Beha’alotcha, in the Book of Numbers (12, 1), Moses, in the plain meaning…
Nasso (Numbers 4, 21 – 7, 89) – the Biblical Nazarite and abstinence in the Jewish tradition
In the Torah reading of Nasso, there are laws relating to a Nazarite (Numbers 6, 1-21). The Biblical Nazarite is one who takes a vow of abstinence in order to…
Bamidbar (Numbers 1, 1 – 4, 20) – from the wilderness to the land of Israel
The name of the Book of Numbers in Hebrew is not Numbers but Bamidbar - also Bamidbar is the name of the first Torah reading of the Book of Bamidbar…
1 Behar (Leviticus 25, 1 – 26, 2) – the Jubilee year
The Torah reading of Behar opens with the laws of the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee (יובל). The Sabbatical year is every seventh year, and is to be “a Sabbath…