Balak 5872 Num. 22:2 – 25:9 Rabbi Jack Luxemburg This Torah portion is full of surprises. It is named for a pagan king, Balak, who ruled over Moab, a territory that is now part of modern-day Jordan. It introduces us to a complicated character, Balam, a soothsayer, and magician who is hired by Balak to […]
Chukkat 5782 Num. 19:1 – 22:1 Rabbi Gary Pokras (originally published in 2017) What does it mean to bring water from the rock? Miriam has just died. Moses and Aaron are mourning. The Israelites are clamoring, yet again, against Moses. This time, they are demanding water because Miriam had been the water diviner for the […]
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Korach 5782 Numbers 16:1 – 18:32 Rabbi Jack Luxemburg Perhaps the most dramatic political crisis recounted in the Torah has something important to teach us about our own contentious time. In Parshat Korach, we learn about an attempted coup against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. It is led by one of their own kinsmen, […]
Yom HaShoah Deut. 4:30-40 Rabbi Gary Pokras Yom HaZikaron laShoah v’laG’vurah (Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day) is one of only a few modern Jewish observances established by the State of Israel. As a day of mourning, it is a fast day marked by public memorial ceremonies that include candle lighting, psalms, songs, poetry, mourning prayers, […]
Acharei Mot 1 Lev. 16:1-34 Rabbi Baht Weiss Acahrei Mot literally means, “after the death.” The parsha begins with God speaking to Moses “acharei mot shnei bnai Aharon” after the death of Aaron’s two children, who were named Nadav and Abihu, who died in the previous Torah portion. Our text tells us that they […]
Pesach Day 7 Ex. 13:17 – 15:26; Num. 28:19-25 Rabbi Gary Pokras We did it! We left Egypt! Now what? As our celebration of Pesach concludes, the Torah narrative shifts from the moments of the actual Exodus from Egypt to what comes next: “And it happened when Pharoah sent the people off that God did […]
Pesach Day 1 (Shabbat) Ex. 12:21 – 12:51; Num. 28:16-25 Rabbi Baht Weiss A week before Passover I engaged in one of my favorite activities, putting on a gray wig and beard, grabbing a wooden staff (stick) and walking down to our preschool classrooms to perform my role of Moses. It is always a great […]
Metzora 5782 (Shabbat HaGadol) Leviticus 14:1 – 15:33 Rabbi Baht Yameem Weiss This week’s Torah portion Metzora speaks about contamination that can affect people’s homes. Leviticus 14: 34-36 says, “When you enter the land of Canaan that I give you as a possession, and I inflict an eruptive plague (nega tzaraat) upon your house in […]
Tazria 5782 (Shabbat HaChodesh) Leviticus 12:1 – 13:59 Rabbi Gary Pokras Once, a friend who is a Methodist minister asked me how I would handle a crisis of faith so deep that it would challenge my commitment to Judaism. I remember thinking for a while before answering his question with another question, which is what […]
