Weekly Torah Reading Beshallaḥ February 19, 2019

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 as Shabbat Shirah, …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Bo’, January 12, 2019

With a Heavy Heart   Why does God say to Moses “Come [bo’] to Pharaoh” at the start of this week’s reading? Shouldn’t that be “Go to Pharaoh”? Or is God hinting that He himself will have already gone to …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Va’era, January 5, 2019

“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.” (Here the Torah uses God’s holiest name, the one that …

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Weekly Torah Reading Shemot December 29, 2018

Mind Your Own Business Despite Pharaoh’s cruel decrees against the people of Israel, the Israelite population just kept increasing. Even his order to have all newborn babies thrown into the Nile didn’t work: the mother of the newborn Moses did …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Vayḥi, December 22, 1918

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 being blessed at …

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Weekly Torah Reading,Va-yiggash December 15, 2018

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, in fact, the …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Mikketz, December 8, 2018

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 of the predicted …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyeshev, December 1, 2018

The Assembly of Ladies   A strange story circulated about one part of this week’s parashah, the story of Joseph’s encounter with Potiphar’s wife.   According to the Torah, the wife of Potiphar (otherwise nameless), is obsessed with Joseph, the …

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