The Seventh Day of Passover, April 15, 2020
Exodus 13:17-15:26 The seventh day of Passover is usually a happy occasion, the recounting of Israel’s miraculous escape from danger at the Red Sea and the great relief and celebration that followed. But at the end of today’s reading comes …
Weekly Torah Reading, Shabbat ha-Gadol, April 4, 2020
Leviticus 6:1-8:36 A Pesaḥ to Remember The Torah does not tire of reminding us of the whole purpose of this festival: to tell our children about Israel’s enslavement in Egypt and their ultimate escape to freedom. But what …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyikra, March 28, 2020
Leviticus 1:1-5:26 Hebrew doesn’t have capital letters: the first letter in a sentence, or the first letter of a proper noun, is written the same size as a letter in the middle of a sentence or name. But this …
Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyakhel-Pekudei, March 21, 2020
Exodus 35:1-40:38 I don’t know how many of you real readers (roughly a thousand or so—a drop in the bucket for such websites as this one) are asking the same question that my own imaginary reader is: “How can …
Weekly Torah Reading, Ki Tissa, March 14, 2020
Exodus 30:11-34:35 Not Speaking with God The episode of the Golden Calf in this week’s reading is hard to justify. God had just finished telling the Israelites in the Ten Commandments not to make any statues or idols …
Weekly Torah Reading Shabbat Zakhor, March 7, 2020
Exodus 27:20-30:10, Deuteronomy 25:17-19 Forget or Remember? The Shabbat just preceding Purim is called “Shabbat Zakhor” because the Torah reading on that day ends with the commandment of Deut 25:17-19: Remember what Amalek did to you on your …
Weekly Torah Reading, Terumah, February 29, 2020
Exodus 25:1-27:19 Return to the Garden This week’s reading contains God’s instructions for the building of the mishkan, the traveling tabernacle (that is, a big tent) in which the Israelites will offer sacrifices to God. Hardly a detail is …
Weekly Torah Reading, Mishpatim, February 22, 2020
Exodus 21:1-24:18 The Torah on Abortion This week’s reading contains numerous laws governing various aspects of daily life. At first, some of these might seem far removed from our own daily lives. You’re probably not going to pay …