The parasha of Balak is a captivating narrative in the Torah that chronicles the encounter between Balak, the Moabite king, and Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet. Balak, fearing the Israelites’ growing power, seeks to curse them. However, despite his intentions, Balaam ends up blessing the Israelites instead. This story, while ancient, holds profound lessons for contemporary […]
This week in parashat Chukat we read of the deaths of siblings Aaron and Miriam and the decree that Moses too will die before reaching the Promised Land. When we consider these three siblings we often spend time on the brothers: Moses, the great leader, the prophet of God and Aaron, the High Priest, the […]
The story of Korah’s rebellion has always been a challenging one. It seems that he was unfairly punished for calling out nepotistic trends in the Israelite leadership. Whether or not Korah was correct in his assertion, the message that we seem to be receiving from the Torah is that any challenge to Moses and Aaron’s […]
The third paragraph of the Shema is taken from the Maftir reading of this week’s parasha (Numbers 15:37-41), where the Children of Israel are commanded to wear tzitzit (fringes) on the corners of their garments, as a reminder of the commandments. The importance of the tzitzit is to serve as a visual reminder of the […]
To Raise Up the Light Though our parasha this week opens with hope and harmony, it concludes with despair and dissolution. The first half of the story begins with instructions “to raise up the lights” of the menorah. This image of light and uplift is followed by other beautiful, harmonious stories of the Israelites, who, […]
PARASHAT NASO: IN THE AFTERGLOW OF SHAVUOT “Why have you raised me just to cast me down?” (Psalms) This is a question posed by our sages and feels particularly relevant to how many Jews feel since October 7th, with over 120 hostages still being held captive by Hamas. The name of this week’s Torah reading […]
Greetings from Atlanta! As I sit at the airport, getting ready to return to Australia, this trip, much like the wilderness that we find the Israelites in, is a time for reflection, renewal, and reconnection with loved ones. This week’s Torah portion, Bemidbar, meaning “In the Wilderness,” opens the fourth book of the Torah. The […]
From time to time throughout our texts we find reminders of our expected commitment to the covenant we entered into at Sinai, where we were affirmed as God’s people, with the condition that we follow God’s laws with the understanding that our purpose is to serve God – the very reason we were freed from […]
This week’s parasha, Behar, begins with these words: “God spoke to Moses Behar Sinai” (at Mount Sinai). Next week’s parasha, Bechukotai, concludes with the words; “These are the mitzvot God gave Moses for the Israelite people on Mount Sinai.” Interestingly, the Torah never enumerates the number of mitzvot nor lists in any form of legal […]
At the end of this week’s Torah portion, we find the enumeration of the festival calendar: “eleh moedei” “these are the times, the festivals, the gatherings of our people.” It tells of the moments during the year when we come together to celebrate, commemorate and mourn. One of the periods about which the parasha speaks, […]
