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 …

Read More »

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 …

Read More »

Weekly Torah Reading, Yitro, February 15, 2020

Exodus 18:1-20:23 Moses and the 611   People long ago noticed something interesting about the Ten Commandments. In the first two commandments, God speaks in the first person, using the words “I” and “Me”: “I am the Lord your God, …

Read More »

Weekly Torah Reading, Beshallaḥ, February 8, 2020

Exodus 13:17-17:15   Two Great Songs   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 known …

Read More »

Weekly Torah Reading, Bo’, February 1, 2020

Exodus 10:1-13:17 A Heavy Heart   What does the Torah mean by saying that God “hardened” Pharaoh’s heart? A very old tradition holds that this phrase means “to make stubborn.” God tells Moses to go in to talk to Pharaoh, …

Read More »

Weekly Torah Reading, Va’era, January 25, 2020

Exodus 6:2-9:35 “Alas for Those Who Have Passed Away”   The first two verses of this week’s reading have long posed a problem for interpreters. God says to Moses, “I am the Lord. But when I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, …

Read More »

Weekly Torah Reading, Shemot, January 18, 2020

  Exodus 1:1-6:1 A Serious Question   In this week’s reading, God calls to Moses from a burning bush and tells him that he is to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites to freedom. To this Moses responds, …

Read More »

Weekly Torah Reading, Vayḥi, January 11, 2020

Genesis 47:28-50:26   The Once and Future Scepter   At the end of his life, Jacob gathered his sons together in order to give each of them his fatherly blessing. But in fact, his three oldest sons didn’t end up …

Read More »