By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week’s Parsha (VAYEITZEI) begins with Jacob on the run from his family and home. Although, he leaves with his father, Isaac’s, birthright and blessing, these were obtained under false pretenses. His mother, Rebecca, heard his brother, Esau, mutter that he intended to kill Jacob, for this deception. She […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant The translation of this week’s Torah Parsha (CHAYEI SARAH) is ‘The Life of Sarah’. Ironically, only the first two lines of the Parsha pertain to the death of Sarah; and, no other aspect of her life is even mentioned again. Rashi wrote that the death of Sarah is juxtaposed […]

By Joy Scott,  Am Haskalah Congregant This week’s Torah Parsha (LECH LECHA) begins with God’s words to Abram: “Go forth from your birthplace to the land which I will show you; and, I will make you into a great nation, bless you, and aggrandize your name” (1). The writers of the Midrash had many obvious […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week’s Torah Parsha begins: “These are the generations of Noah; Noah was a righteous man for this generation; Noah walked with God” (1). Numerous commentaries have emerged, pertaining to the implication that ‘Noah was a righteous man’. In a rare ‘Torah Moment’, Torah scholars are actually in agreement […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant “In the beginning of God’s creation of the heavens and earth, God said: “Let there be light; and, there was light” (1). The first Torah Parsha (BEREISHIT) of the Book of Genesis is probably the most familiar of any other portions of the Torah. The wondrous origination of the […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah congregant This week’s Parsha (KI TAVO) begins with instructions from Moses to the Children of Israel. They are directed that on the very day that they cross the Jordan, to create two huge stones, on which each word of the Torah will be clearly written. At this point, The Levites […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week’s Torah Parsha (KI TEITZEI) occurs as the Children of Israel are at the brink of embarking on war with hostile nations, as they tirelessly struggle to reach the ‘Promised Land’. The Parsha comprises seventy-four of the Torah’s six hundred and thirteen commandments; including marital issues; release of […]

By Joy Scott, Am Hasklah Congregant   In previous Parshiot in the Book of DEUTERONOMY, we learned how God began preparing for the establishment of a new nation in the ‘Promised Land’. Equal portions of the land were allotted, according to the population of each of the tribes. Last week’s Torah Parsha (RE’EH) emphasized the […]

By Joy Scott, Am Hasklah Congregant “See, I am setting before you today the blessing and the curse: the blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your GOD, which I am giving to you today; the curse if you disobey the commandments of the Lord your GOD” (1). These are the first words […]

By Joy Scott, Am Hasklah 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 for this new generation. They may not remember the miracles, which God had performed, to […]