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Parasha Tzav (Command!): Remembering the Amalekites on Shabbat Zachor

March 14, 2014 Parasha Tzav begins with the command for the burnt offering (korban olah) and the command to keep the fire burning upon the altar continually. Every morning, the priests were to shovel the ashes of the olah and to kindle wood in the fire to keep it burning. This reveals the continuity of our service to God in the offerings and prayers, one kindling the next. As well, as priests of the Lord, we are to keep a fiery enthusiasm burning in our hearts for our relationship with God. It is natural that there are times when the fire burns down to a lower level, but we must never let the fire totally go out. We must tend to the fire by removing the ashes and placing fresh kindling in the embers lest our service becomes routine and our fire for the Lord dies.

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Parasha Vayikra (And He Called): The Book of Holiness

March 7, 2014 This Shabbat, we begin the study of the Third Book of Moses, which is called Leviticus in English Bibles. The name Leviticus is derived from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures). The Hebrew name for Leviticus is Vayikra, from the opening word which means "and He called." In chapter one of Leviticus, God calls to Moses from the Tent of Meeting, giving him the laws of the animal and meal offerings.

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Parasha Pekudei (Accounts): The Shekhinah Glory of God Fills the Temple

February 28, 2014 Parasha Pekudei addresses the mystery of how an unlimited, eternal God who transcends all time and space can possibly take up residence within the limitations of a man-made building. Once Moses and the people finished the work of constructing the Mishkan, the Glory of God filled the tabernacle. Imagine! God chose to place His Shechinah Glory in the finite space of the Mishkan (Sanctuary). The presence of the Lord was so weighty that Moses himself was unable to enter.

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Parasha Vayakhel: The Sabbath and Being Equipped for Service

February 20, 2014 Less than a week earlier, this Israelite community that assembled before Moses had worshiped the Golden Calf. Now Moses instructs them in the ways of Adonai. The first instruction Moses gives the people concerns the Sabbath, which God set apart as a day of holiness, elevating it above the rest of the week. On this day no work was to be done.

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Parasha Ki Tisa (When You Take): The Intercession of the Righteous

February 14, 2014 Unlike the freewill offering (terumah) that was used to construct the Tabernacle, the half shekel census tax, which was to be an atonement for the soul, was obligatory and contributed by rich and poor alike. The half shekel tax is considered the ultimate manifestation of equality. It reveals that every soul, regardless of status, is of equal value, equally in danger, and equally in need of ransom. This ransom is perhaps necessary because taking a census was often associated with preparing for war—the spilling of blood. (2 Samuel 24:1–2)

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Parasha Tetzaveh (You Command): The Lamp of God

February 7, 2014 Aaron and his four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, were initiated into the priesthood in a seven-day ceremony. God commanded the newly installed priests to keep the light of the lamps burning before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting from evening until morning—at all times. The laws concerning the Tabernacle's Menorah were to be a lasting ordinance for generations to come.

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Parasha Terumah (Offering): Why God Built an Earthly Tabernacle

January 31, 2014 The Tabernacle, where God dwelt among the Israelites, would be portable so that it, along with the Divine Presence, could move from place to place during the Israelites' wilderness wanderings. Why does a non-earthly, omnipresent God require a specific, physical earthly space to dwell in? Even God Himself said, “Heaven is My Throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where could you build a house for Me? What place could possibly serve as My abode?” (Isaiah 66:1)

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Parasha Mishpatim (Laws): Times of Refreshing

January 24, 2014 The presentation of Jewish civil law begins with the ordinances concerning slavery, which in that day, could have been beneficial or harmful, depending on the character of the slave owner and the nation where it was instituted. In Israel, slavery was to be neither cruel nor humiliating.

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Parasha Yitro (Jethro): A Treasured Possession and a Kingdom of Priests

January 17, 2014 The Torah portion begins with Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro (Yitro), coming from Midian with Moses’ wife and two sons after hearing of the great miracles that God performed for His people. When Moses found himself in the desert, fleeing for his life after killing an Egyptian slave driver, Jethro was the first one to offer him hospitality, safety, and friendship. Moses eventually married Jethro's daughter, Tzipora (Zipporah).

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Parasha Beshalach (When He Sent Away): A Time to Pray or a Time to Act

January 10, 2014 Parasha Beshalach is packed with exciting drama, including the daring escape of from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and manna from Heaven.

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