There Shall Not Be Like Korach The verse in this week’s Torah reading says (17:5), “And there shall not be like Korach and his following.” This is referring to the […]
Weekly Torah Portion
Insight and themes on the weekly Torah portion (parshah) read aloud in synagogue.
The Ma’apilim In this week’s Torah reading, the Jews sent spies to the land of Israel. The spies returned with a negative report of the land, and instead of trusting […]
Nothing Better for the Body than Silence In the end of this week’s Torah reading, Miriam, the sister of Moshe (Moses), was punished with tzara’at (a unique skin disease) for […]
Chametz on Shavuot The Chatam Sofer says (Parshat Emor, page 61) that matzah (non-leavened bread) represents our spiritual aspect, while chametz (leavened goods) represents our physical aspect. On Passover, the […]
Woe to the Wicked, Woe to his Neighbor This week’s Torah reading dictates where each tribe should camp, as the Jews traveled through the desert on their way from Egypt […]
All That’s Left is Torah This week’s Torah reading, Parshat Bechukotai, warns us that if we fail to keep the Torah properly, we will be exiled from our land, and […]
And Your Brother Shall Live with You The verse in this week’s Torah reading states (25:36), “You shall not take interest from him, and you should fear your God, and […]
Sefirat HaOmer – Rising to New Levels In this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Emor, we are instructed to count the Omer (Sefirat HaOmer). Every day, beginning with the second day […]
The Depth of “Love Your Fellow Jew” This week’s Torah reading says (19:18), “And you should love your fellow Jew as you love yourself.” The Rambam sums up this Mitzvah […]
The Weight of Warning: A Reminder of Consequences In the beginning of this week’s Torah reading, God instructs Moshe (Moses) to warn Aaron and his sons to refrain from entering […]
