by Joy Scott Last week’s Torah Parsha (BALAK) was somewhat fanciful and surreal; although, ending in tragedy, when thousands of Israelites lost their lives, as a consequence of being lured into illicit relations with the Moabite women. Parsha (PINCHAS) transitions to more serious themes, which include not just a diverse set of narratives; but, also […]

By Joy Scott, Am Hasklah Congregant A ‘Prophet for hire’, a talking donkey, and flying angels: This is not a child’s fairy tale; but, rather the essence of this week’s Torah Parsha (BALAK). The Parsha begins with the Israelites continuing their journey to Canaan. They have already defeated their enemies in the land of the […]

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 Parsha begins: “This is the statute of the Torah which the Lord commanded…”(1), and proceeds […]

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 exception of Joshua and Caleb, the other ten men rejected the assumption that the people […]

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, with a look towards the future. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Send out men, […]

By Joy Scott, 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 have just learned that via God’s instructions to Moses, they will soon be leaving Mount Sinai, to […]

This week’s Torah Parsha (NASO) begins with a continuation of last week’s Parsha (BAMIDBAR); completing the census of the Children of Israel, and assigning the intricate details of the tasks to be performed by each individual tribe, in the transporting of the Tabernacle. With 176 verses, NASO is both the longest portion of the Torah, […]

By Joy Scott,  Am Haskalah Congregant Last week’s double Parshiot (BEHAR) and (BECHUKOTAI) comprised the final portions of the Book of Leviticus. We begin the Book of NUMBERS, with plans to dismantle the Tabernacle, and to re-build it further into the wilderness. In the second year of the EXODUS, God spoke to Moses: “Take a […]

This week, we continue with the book of Leviticus, with the reading of Parsha (ACHAREI MOT). The primary focus of this Parsha pertains to the ancient rituals of Yom Kippur, the ‘Day of Atonement’. During the period of MISHNAH (i.e. the first major redaction of the Oral Torah) in the second century, the Jewish calendar […]

The essence of this week’s Torah Parsha (METZORA) pertains to ritual impurities. There are references to spiritual impurities within a home (detected by the appearance of dark colored patches on its walls); and, impurities engendered by nature of intimate relations between a husband and his wife. However, the predominant theme of Parsha (METZORA) concerns the […]