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Tetzaveh (You Command): The Beauty of Holiness

A fresco of King David dancing before the Ark by Johann Baptist Wenzel Bergl (Photo by Wolfgang Sauber)

Everything God creates in His physical world helps us understand His spiritual world. The use of physical gems on the breastplate of the Kohen Gadol is no different. Since these stones represent the 12 tribes, and the breastplate is connected with discovering the will of God, the stones represent how precious Israel is to the Lord and His desire to lead them into His will.

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Parasha Terumah (Offering): Building the Sanctuary

Two 13-year-old Jewish boys share the weight of carrying a Torah scroll encased by a silver Torah tik.

The title of this week’s Torah reading, Terumah (תְּרוּמָה), is taken from a Hebrew word meaning offering, gift, or contribution. In this Parasha, the Lord commands Moses to take up a free will offering from the people of Israel in order to build a sanctuary in the wilderness. This sanctuary, called the Mishkan, was meant to be a visible reminder for the people of God’s holy Presence that dwelt among them.

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Parasha Mishpatim (Laws): The Covenant Code of Freedom

A Jewish teen holds a Torah scroll covered by an ornately decorated Torah mantle that commemorates those who perished in Nazi death camps during the Holocaust.

Since the Israelites had just been released from slavery, the first of God’s mishpatim deal with servants and slaves. “When you acquire a Jewish bondsman, for six years he shall work and in the seventh year he shall go free...” (Exodus 21:2) Several verses later, the painful experiences of the Israelites in Egypt are highlighted again, this time to create empathy for the foreigner. God commands the Israelites that foreigners be treated with kindness and respect.

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Parasha Yitro (Jethro): Meeting With God

Moses elects the Council of Seventy Elders, by Jacob de Wit

Yitro rejoiced with Moses over all that God had done for them; but the next day, when Yitro saw Moses spending long hours judging the people, he was concerned about the strain on Moses. Moses’ father-in-law wisely advised him to appoint other men to occupy positions of leadership to help carry the burden, lest Moses wear himself out. The Word of God tells us which qualities to look for in choosing potential leaders: capable, God-fearing, honest people.

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Beshalach (When He Let Go): Moving Through Fear Toward Our Destiny

Two women joyfully dance on Jerusalem day to celebrate the miracle of the rebirth of the independent state of Israel.

Pharaoh finally relented in letting the Israelites go free, but in this week's Parasha, Pharaoh changes his mind and races after them to bring them back into slavery. Thinking they are lost in the wilderness, Pharaoh seemingly traps them against the Red Sea. There is no escape. But God miraculously splits the waters so that His people pass through on dry land, while the Egyptians drown behind them.

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Parasha Va’era (And I Appeared): God’s Covenantal Redemption

God promises Moses that He will accomplish four redemptive acts: He would bring out the Israelites from their suffering in Egypt, rescue them from slavery, redeem them from their oppression with His outstretched arm, and take them as His own nation (am). These four promises are called the four expressions of redemption, and they are traditionally commemorated during the Passover Seder (ritual meal) with four cups of wine.

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Parasha Shemot (Names): Like Israel, Like Us

Jewish prayer-Kotel-Torah

There is much to learn from the suffering of the Israelites. Despite the tyranny by the Egyptians, the People of Israel still grew mighty in number. Oppressive circumstances cannot prevent God from carrying out His purposes and fulfilling His promises. We may suffer under some sort of bondage or pain for what seems like a very long time, but we can rest assured that God hears our cries.

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Vayechi (And He Lived): The Jewish Longing for the Promised Land

Torah-hagbah-Western Wall

In this Parasha, Jacob compelled Joseph to vow to carry his body back to the Land of his Fathers and bury him there. Joseph agreed to his dying father’s request not to leave his body in Egypt. Although Jacob had lived the last 17 years of his life in Egypt, he never forgot the Land God had promised him by Divine Covenant. Ever since God called Abraham out of Ur, the Jewish People have not lost sight of the Promised Land given to them through Isaac and Jacob. Even when the people of Israel were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, they sat by the rivers of Babylon weeping and remembering Zion, vowing to never forget her.

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