Weekly Torah Reading, Balak and Pinehas, July 16, 2022

Weekly Torah Reading (in Israel) Pineḥas, July 16, 2022 Numbers 25:10-30:1 The Return of Pineḥas   Last week’s Torah reading ended with a certain Israelite hero slaying a flagrantly offending couple, thereby turning aside God’s wrath. The name of the hero …

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Weekly Torah Reading (in Israel) Balak, July 9, 2022 (outside Israel) Hukkat

Numbers 22:2-25:9 A People Dwelling Apart? In this week’s Torah reading, the pagan seer Balaam is hired to curse the people of Israel, but every time he tries, he ends up blessing them instead. In the first of these blessings …

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Weekly Torah Reading, (In Israel), Hukkat ha-Torah, July 2, 2022

  Numbers, 19:1-22:1   Strike the Rock   This week’s reading relates that, toward the end of their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites ran out of water. They complained bitterly to their leaders, Moses and Aaron: …

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Weekly Torah Reading, (In Israel and Outside), July 2, 2022

Weekly Torah Reading, (In Israel), Hukkat July 2, 2022 Numbers 19:1-22:1 Overconfident This week’s reading relates that, toward the end of their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites ran out of water. They complained bitterly to their …

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Weekly Torah Reading (in Israel), Beha‘alotekha, June 11, 2022

Weekly Torah Reading (in Israel), Beha‘alotekha, June 11, 2022 The Good Old Days   In the book of Ecclesiastes, the author advises, “Don’t say, ‘How has it come about that things were better in earlier times than now?’ for you …

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Weekly Torah Reading: for Shavu‘ot, June 5, 2022

The Giving of the Torah    As everyone knows, the festival of Shavu‘ot commemorates the giving of the Torah. Year in and year out, we mark the day with special celebrations and readings in synagogue; some Jews stay up all …

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Weekly Torah Reading (in Israel), BeHar, May 14, 2022

Leviticus 25:1-27:34 Very, Very Much Humble   This week’s reading mostly consists of a long list of misfortunes that will befall the people of Israel if they fail to keep God’s commandments. This list is so terrible that we tend …

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Weekly Torah Reading (Outside of Israel) Aharei Mot April 30, 2022

(Leviticus 16:1-18:30) The Two Temples   The very beginning of the reading for this Shabbat ought to appear somewhat surprising. Following the death of Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu, in the wilderness sanctuary (mishkan), God says to Moses: “Tell …

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