Weekly Torah Reading, Hukkat, June 24. 2023

Numbers 19:1-22:1 Overconfident This week’s reading relates that, toward the end of their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites ran out of water. They complained bitterly to their leaders, Moses and Aaron: “Why did you take us …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Korah, June 17, 2023

Numbers, chapter 16:1-18:32 Ganging Up on Moses This week’s Torah reading recounts the attempted revolt of Koraḥ and his allies. According to Num 16:3, the rebels “assembled” (vayyiqqahalu) against Moses and Aaron. The same verb appears again in Num 16:19, …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Beha‘alotekha, June 3, 2023

Numbers 8:1-12:16 The Good Old Days In the book of Ecclesiastes, the author advises, “Don’t say, ‘How has it come about that things were better in earlier times than now?’ for you are not asking about this out of wisdom” …

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Weekly Torah Reading, BeMidbar, May 15, 2023

Numbers 1:1-4:20 The Nature of Holiness   This week’s Torah reading begins with a detailed census of Israel’s tribes. However, the Levites are not included in the census; they are listed separately afterwards. The reason for this reveals something basic …

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Weekly Torah Reading, BeHar-Be-Ḥukkotai, May 13, 2023

Leviticus 25:1-27:34 The Slave’s Life   Twice, in this week’s reading, God tells Israel that they themselves will occupy the lowest rank in the society that they are to establish in Canaan. “For they are My slaves,” God says of …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Emor, May 6, 2023

Leviticus 21:1-24:23 Redivide the Verse   The possibility has always struck me that our ancient sages (heresy spoiler!) may have made a mistake in the way they divided up the verses in one crucial passage of the Torah. As is …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Aharei Mot-Kedoshim, April 29, 2023

Leviticus 16:1 to 20:27 Like Yourself   No doubt the most famous verse in this week’s double reading, Aḥarei Mot-Kedoshim, is Lev 19:18, “You shall love your neighbor like yourself.” Rabbi Akiva declared that this verse is nothing less than …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Tazri‘a-Metzora‘, April 22, 2023

April 22, 2023   The Anesthetized Rib This week’s double reading (Tazria’-Metzora‘) opens with an unusual law: “When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male child, she will be ritually impure for seven days; just as with the …

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