Weekly Torah Reading, Yitro, January 22, 2022
Exodus 18:1-20:23 Two Stone Tablets? Ancient readers asked a question about the Ten Commandments, one that occurs to few people nowadays: Why did they need to be written on two stone tablets? One rectangular tablet certainly would have been sufficient—in …
Weekly Torah Reading, Beshallaḥ, January 15, 2022
Exodus 13:17-17:16 Not One But Two This week’s reading prominently features the Song of the Sea—the song that the Israelites sang after their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15). For this reason, this Shabbat is also …
Weekly Torah Reading, Bo’, January 8, 2022
Exodus chapter 10:1-13:16 Laws Endowed with Life Chapter 12 of this week’s reading contains the first commandments given to the people of Israel, starting with the laws of the new month and then moving on to the laws of …
Weekly Torah Reading, Va’era, January 1, 2022
Exodus 6:2-9:35 The Divine Signature This week’s reading begins with God telling Moses, “I am the Lord” (YHWH). But surely Moses knew that already. In fact, just a few paragraphs earlier, God had instructed Moses to tell …
Weekly Torah Reading Shemot, December 25, 2021
Exodus 1:1-6:1 “Those Are My Brothers” In this week’s reading the Torah recounts how Pharaoh, obsessed with the growing threat posed by the Hebrew slaves in his country, ordered that every newborn boy be cast into the Nile. …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayḥi, December 18, 2021
Genesis 47:28-50:26 Anger Management At the end of his life, Jacob gathered his sons together in order to give each of them his fatherly blessing (Genesis 49:2-27). But in fact, his three oldest sons didn’t end up being blessed …
Weekly Torah Reading, Va-yiggash December 11, 2021
Genesis 44:18-47:27 After They’ve Seen Paree After Joseph revealed his true identity to him brothers, he sent them back to Canaan to tell their father Jacob the good news: his long-lost son Joseph was still alive and was, …
Weekly Torah Reading, Mikketz, December 4, 2021
Genesis 41:1-44:17 The Fear of God Joseph’s abilities as a dream interpreter eventually landed him a job as a high Egyptian official in charge of grain supplies. Meanwhile his family in Canaan had begun to feel the effects …