By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant 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 other nations, Balak, the King of Moab was […]
Posts with the Numbers tag
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: CHUKAT (NUMBERS 19:1-22:1)
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 of a riddle. The parsha begins: “This is the statute of the Torah which the Lord commanded…”(1) and […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: KORACH (NUMBERS 16:1-18:32)
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 […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: SHELACH (NUMBERS 13:1-15:41)
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant In last week’s Torah parsha, Behaalotecha, we read about the Israelites 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 […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: BEHAALOTECHA (NUMBERS 8:1-12:16)
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant Shortly after a year after 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, via God’s instructions to Moses, that they will soon be leaving […]