Weekly Torah Reading, Tazria‘-Metzora‘, April 24, 2020 Leviticus 12:1-15:33   Why These Two Readings?   Last week’s reading, Shemini, began with the death of Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu. They obviously did something wrong in what was to be …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Shemini, April 18, 2020

Leviticus 9:1 to 11:47   Rules Don’t Apply   In this week’s reading, Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu, are suddenly struck dead—on the very day that the people of Israel were to celebrate the start of regular worship in …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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