Should Bilaam Go? In this week’s Torah reading, King Balak sent messengers to summon Bilaam the prophet to curse the Jews, who were camping out in the desert nearby. When […]
Weekly Torah Portion
Insight and themes on the weekly Torah portion read aloud in synagogue.
Making a “Cheshbon Hanefesh” The verse in this week’s Torah reading (Bamidbar 21:27) says in reference to a conquest which took place, “The prophets said, come to [the land of] […]
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 […]
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 […]
