Vayikra (Leviticus 1, 1 – 5, 26) – the Book of Leviticus, law and morality
The Book of Leviticus is known in the Jewish tradition as Torat Kohanim - literally, the priestly Torah (law), and the name Leviticus means relating to the Levites, as the…
Pikudei (Exodus 38, 21 – 40, 38) – the Divinity of the Torah (the 5 Books of Moses)
The term pikudei means accounts or recordings as in the opening verse of the Torah reading Pikudei (Exodus 38, 21) - “These are the accounts of the tabernacle”. The Tabernacle…
Vayakel (Exodus 35, 1 – 38, 20) – the Sabbath precedes the Tabernacle in Holiness
The Torah reading of Vayakel concerns the building of the Tabernacle, which is a portable tent like structure that is seen as the dwelling place of the presence of God,…
Ki Tisa (Exodus 30, 11 – 34, 35) – walking in the ways of God (the 13 attributes of God)
As part of the story of the golden calf (after the making of the calf), Moses makes two requests of God - "make known to me Your way, that I…
Tetzaveh (Exodus 27, 20 – 30, 10) – the hereditary priesthood
The Torah reading of Tetzaveh is the only Torah reading since the beginning of the Book of Exodus, when the story of Moses begins, until the end of the Torah…
2 Terumah (Exodus 25, 1 – 27, 19) – the need to give and contribute
The Tabernacle occupies a central position in the Torah (the 5 Books of Moses), and is the center of ritual and sacrificial worship of the Israelites in their wanderings in…
1 Terumah (Exodus 25, 1 – 27, 19) – why the Tabernacle and animal sacrifice?
The Tabernacle, which in Hebrew (משכן) literally means dwelling is a portable tent like structure that is seen as the dwelling place of the presence of God. In the command…
2 Mishpatim (Exodus 21, 1 – 24, 18) – the anti-fundamentalist nature of Jewish law
The Torah reading of Mishpatim contains commandments that in the plain meaning of Scripture are given on Mount Sinai together with the tablets containing the ten statements (and, the Biblical…
1 Mishpatim (Exodus 21, 1 – 24, 18) – law and morality
The opening verse of the Torah reading Mishpatim is “And these are the ordinances which you shall set before them” - and, Rashi, the great Biblical commentator of the Jewish…
3 Yitro (Exodus 18, 1 – 20, 23) – the parallel between the story of the binding of Isaac and the revelation at Sinai
There is a parallel relationship between two great stories that stand out in the Hebrew Bible - the story of the binding of Isaac and the story of the great…