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Parasha Acharei Mot (After Death): The Scapegoat for Sin

women's section_Kotel_prayer_siddur_Jerusalem

For most of us, even religious Jews, the idea of blood atonement for sin seems foreign and archaic. Moreover, in this day of do-what-you-think-is-right, even the basic concept of sin seems antiquated. Still, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is a reminder that the problem of sin is just as real today as it was in the time of Moses. According to Jewish tradition, in fact, Yom Kippur is the day that God pronounces judgment, administering either the rewards for good deeds (mitzvot) or the punishments for sin.

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Parasha Metzora: Four Lepers Who Went From Outcasts to Heroes

This week, Parasha Metzorah continues with the theme of Tazria. In it, God gives Moses the law for the recovered metzora (commonly mistranslated as leper) and the ritual purification of the metzora by the kohen (priest). In Matthew 8:3, Yeshua upholds this law when He heals the leper and tells him, "Show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." In accordance with God's command in Leviticus, when the kohen determined that the metzora had healed, he or she underwent a process of ritual cleansing that began with the offering of two birds, one which was sacrificed and the other which was set free.

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Parasha Tazria (She Conceives): Drawing Close to God

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In the Torah, isolation or time alone is not restricted to physical or contagious conditions; it can also be seen as a necessary time for prayer, devotion, and communion with God. In the words of a Chassidic Jewish saying, “A person who does not have an hour to him or herself every day is not a person.” God invites each one of us spend time alone with Him to bond with Him and deepen our relationship in ways we cannot do in a group setting. There are plenty of Biblical examples to follow, as well.

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Parasha Shemini (Eighth): The Manifestation of the Presence of God

The Death of Ananais, by Raphael

This week’s Parasha provides the laws of kashrut (Biblical dietary laws). In Leviticus 11, God outlines which animals are edible and which are not. Why should the God of the Universe care about what we eat? The main purpose of the dietary laws is not for hygienic or health reasons; they set the Israelites apart as a holy people. What we eat not only affects our physical body and mind, but also our soul.

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

Hurva-Synagogue

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

Leviticus-Torah-scroll

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

Kippah-Pray-Western (Wailing) Wall

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

Hagbah-Kotel-Sukkot

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

Bar Mitzvah-Torah-Kotel

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

Golden-Menorah

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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