In Hebrew, Bamidbar means “in the desert” or “in the wilderness” but in English, we call this book of the Torah “Numbers”. This parsha represents both meanings. There is a focus on numbers in that God tells Moses to conduct a census. Once counted, the people broke camp and started out to the wilderness. There […]
In Parshat Tzav, we continue learning about the laws of sacrifice and there are distinctions drawn between the different types of offerings – sin offerings, burnt offerings, and homage offerings. In this parsha, God also commands the priests to make a special offering (the offering of ordination) which solidifies them in their roles.
There is much […]
And God spoke to Moses: I shall give you my laws. And you shall take them unto the people.
Moses (aka Mel Brooks): Hear me! Oh, hear me! The Lord, the Lord has given these 15 <crash> … ten commandments for all to obey!
What was in the other 5 commandments? What are we missing?
Well… they were […]
In 5779, Joel delivered the dvar for Lech Lecha and I delivered the dvar the following week for Vayera. And here we are, in 5780 following the same pattern.
Are we in a rut? Following on the heels of Lech Lecha and Joel talking about “Go. Become.” I have to wonder if that is exactly what […]
Chukat is about mortality. In this parshah, we read about the death of Aaron and Miriam – two of three of Israel’s great leaders in the wilderness; we also read about the death sentence for Moses – that he shall not enter the land of Israel. I also think that Chukat is about the importance […]
Emor means ‘speak’ in Hebrew and the parsha is focused on continuing to speak or lay out the laws for man. If we were reading the whole Torah portion, in the first Aliyah we would read about the qualities and behaviors of a Kohen. In the second Aliyah, we would learn how body blemishes and […]
In parshat Terumah, Moses is given detailed instructions on how to construct this dwelling for God. The instructions address the need for the mishkan to be dismantled and portable, all in preparation for the journey across the desert. The instructions are VERY detailed, even to the specific dimensions. Is this whole parsha a blueprint? Yes, […]
Last week Joel talked about Lech Lecha – go out, leave
what is comfortable, go and make something of yourself. Become something
perhaps you hadn’t even imagined a decade ago.
WHO are we becoming?
How do we describe ourselves? What labels do we wear?
Do you describe yourself by your job title or the type
of work you do?
Doctor – Lawyer […]
Before I dive into the story of Balak and share some reflections, I feel the need to provide full disclosure about this parsha. Balak has become a Steiner family tradition. Ron read Balak at his Bar Mitzvah in Israel and so did his brother, David. Rachel read Balak at her Bat Mitzvah in Israel and […]
Basic Story: Korach, one of the rich leaders of the Levites, and a cousin of Moses and Aaron, felt that he had been slighted and overlooked in the distribution of the highest priestly honors and leadership. Realizing that despite his riches and influence he alone could do very little to shake the people’s faith and […]
