The Lehigh Valley's Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant In this week’s Parsha (EKEV), Moses continues his closing address to the Children of Israel, which he began in Parsha (DEVARIM), and expanded upon in last week’s Parsha (V’ETCHANAN). Moses clearly understands the risks … Continued
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant In last week’s Torah Parsha (DEVARIM), we heard the words of Moses as he explained to the Children of Israel the sins and transgressions committed by their forefathers, with the consequence that God banned … Continued
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week’s Torah Parsha (DEVARIM) is the first in the last Book of the Torah, DEUTERONOMY. The entire book denotes a major shift from each of the four earlier Books. We read how … Continued
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week, we read a double Parshiot (MATOT-MASSEI), which consolidate to comprise the finale of the Book of NUMBERS. The contents of these Parshiot are remarkable for the discontinuity of the narrative, the paradoxical … Continued
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant Last week’s Torah Parsha (BALAK) was somewhat fanciful and surreal; ending in tragedy, when thousands of Israelites lost their lives as a consequence of being lured into illicit relations with the Moabite women. Parsha … Continued
Parsha (BALAK) begins with the Israelites continuing their journey to Canaan. They have already defeated their enemies in many nations and have settled their next encampment on the border of Moab. Based on the victories the Israelites had achieved in … Continued
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant In an almost imperceptible yet seismic shift, this week’s Torah Parsha (CHUKAT) jumps several decades ahead in the journey of the Israelites and its narrative reads like a riddle inside a riddle. The Torah … Continued
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant In last week’s Torah Parsha (SHELACH), twelve ‘spies’, after scouting the land of Canaan for forty days, returned with a blatantly exaggerated falsehood pertaining to the strength and size of the inhabitants. With the … Continued
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant In last week’s Torah Parsha (BEHAALOTECHA), we read about the Israelite’s turbulent saga of disillusionment with their way of life in the desert. This week’s Parsha (SHELACH) takes a new and momentarily promising turn, … Continued
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant Shortly after a year of being rescued from Egypt, this week’s Torah Parsha (BEHAALOTECHA) provides a glimpse into Moses’ psyche, as well as the state of mind of the Israelites. The Children of Israel … Continued