Tetzaveh In the midst of the Israelites’ building the mishkan, the sacred dwelling-place for God during their wilderness sojourn, this parsha/Torah reading has God giving instructions to Moses regarding the attire of the High Priest, the Kohen Gadol. What was his function? He was intermediary between God and the people, charged with a strict [...]
Here is the climax of the Exodus: the people of Israel gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai, there to receive the Torah. Our tradition teaches that, for the first time in human existence, a moral-minded god reached into history to become involved in earthly affairs, freeing a captive people from slavery, and giving them [...]
Online Torah study with Brian.
Everyone has, or ought to have, their own “piece of the Torah.” For those of us fortunate enough to have become bar/t mitzvah, this is their parsha/Torah Reading, the portion which pertains to each and every Shabbat. I return happily to Beshalach every year, remembering the very patient bar mitzvah tutor who worked with me [...]
Text for this class can be downloaded here. Tu B’Shevat: It’s What You Make It Quick Facts: -15th of Shevat (according to Hillel) -Minor holiday, non-Biblical. Probably a nature festival of old (The Jewish Festivals by Hayyim Schauss). Related to the wood sacrifices at the Temple. -Only important because it’s mentioned in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah [...]
At the start of this parsha/Torah reading, Pharaoh’s pride has boxed him into a corner. He is too caught up in his own ego to recognize the destruction which the Ten Plagues are bringing upon Egypt, as well as the suffering of his people. All along, Moses and Aaron repeat God’s demand: Shlach et ami [...]
“A Simple No” She knew at Seven When told she’d go to Hell For not Believing That they were Wrong “Obligatory” His heart’s soul Carved a cavalier Swastika In mine When After 20 years Everything he did When we were kids Paled against Everything he said About Jews Followed by “But not you.” Adam lives [...]
Judaism teaches that God is not only the creator of the universe, but is also involved in our daily lives, in the form of Divine Providence. God plans every event that occurs to us (with the exception, I believe, of great tragedies), even though we retain our free will. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev teaches [...]
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The Salad Days of Moses: Parsha Shemote
I like Moses a lot. I commiserate with him: how can one be “the humblest of men” but at the same time, lead a people so fractious, argumentative, and independent-minded as us Jews? And yet, that was his life’s mission: self-destructively workaholic, misogynistic more than often, and not much of a father (his two sons are mere names, [...]