Bamidbar Numbers 1:1 – 4:20 By Jen Smith The Book of Bamidbar (the Book of Numbers) opens with a divine accounting of every individual in the Israelite camp. “Take a census of the whole Israelite community… by name, each man according to his ancestral house” (Numbers 1:2). At first read, this might seem like an […]

Behar-Bechukotai Leviticus 25:1-27:34 By Jen Smith When you enter the land…the land shall observe a Sabbath for the Lord (Leviticus 25:2). Parshat Behar begins on Mt. Sinai, a magical place of revelation, but rather than opening with thunder and commands, it speaks about the land and rest. In the Sabbatical year, the Earth itself is […]

Parashat Emor Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23 By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith Parashat Emor offers detailed instructions about holiness including who may serve as priest, how to approach sacred time, and how to honor the festivals of Shabbat, Passover, and Sukkot. It’s a portion that sets boundaries and structures like who is in, who is out, […]

Achrei Mot – Kedoshim Leviticus 16:1 – 20:27 By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith This week’s double portion, Parashat Achrei Mot – Kedoshim, is not so much a Torah reading as it is a spiritual manifesto. In it, we traverse from the sacred spaces of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) to the intimate, messy spaces of human relationships. […]

Tazria-Metzora Leviticus 12:1–15:33  By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith  Parshat Tazria-Metzora is often seen as one of the more challenging portions in the Torah. It deals with skin conditions, ritual purity, and the mysterious ailment known as tzara’at – often mistranslated as leprosy but better understood as a physical manifestation of a sort of spiritual imbalance. […]