Weekly Torah Reading, Deut 1:1-3:22 (July 25, 2015)
Alas! This week’s reading, from the beginning of the book of Deuteronomy, is always read on the Shabbat preceding the Ninth of Av (Tish‘ah be-Av), a day of mourning that commemorates the destruction of the first and second temples in …
Weekly Torah Reading Mattot-Mas‘ei July 18, 2015
Slow Justice One of the most widespread legal principles in the ancient world was the lex [or “ius”] talionis, the law [or “right”] of retribution. A person who, for example, injured someone was to be punished by suffering the …
Weekly Torah Reading Pinhas July 11, 2015
What Happened to Phinehas? Last week’s Torah reading ended with Phinehas (the common English spelling of Hebrew Pinhas) slaying a flagrantly offending couple in the sight of all Israel, thereby turning back God’s wrath. This week’s reading opens with …
Weekly Torah Reading Balak July 4, 2015
Leave Us Alone In this week’s Torah reading, the pagan seer Balaam is hired to curse the people of Israel, but every time he tries, he ends up blessing them instead. In the first of these blessings he says …
Weekly Torah Reading Hukkat (Numbers 19-22:1) June 27, 2015
Thanks to Miriam Note: For an explanation of the account of Moses striking the rock (Num 20:6-13), please see “Moses’ Big Mistake” under “Free Stuff” on my website. Back in the book of Exodus, the Torah recounted …
Weekly Torah Reading: Korah June 20, 2015
The Whole Garment Korah is the villain of this week’s Torah reading, the leader of a foiled rebellion against Moses and Aaron. “Look, all of us are holy,” Korah said to them. By this he meant that he and his …
Weekly Torah Reading: Shelah Lekha June 13, 2015
Memorable Threads This week’s Torah reading ends with the law of “fringes” or “tassels” (tzitzit). In pre-modern times, weavers used different means to finish off a piece of cloth so that it would not unravel. One way was to …
Weekly Torah Reading: Beha’alotekha June 6, 2015
The Problem with Y-S-F In this week’s Torah Reading, Moses gathered up the 70 elders of the people and stationed them all around the Tent of Meeting (Num 11:24). Then God came down in a cloud, and the divine spirit …