Parsha Va’etchanan

This week’s parsha is Va’etchanan: Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11 Va’etchanan (3:23-7:11) – (And I Pleaded): Haftorah: Isaiah 40:1-26 (Ashkenazi); Isaiah 40:1-26 (Sephardi) 3:23-25: Moses prays again 5:1-18: The Ten Statements 3:26-29: Exile and return 5:19-26: Fire, cloud, thick smoke 4:1-11: Decrees and…

Parsha Devarim

This week’s parsha is Devarim: Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 Devarim (1:1-3:22) – (Words): Haftorah: Isaiah 1:1-27 (Ashkenazi); Isaiah 1:1-27 (Sephardi) 1:1-12: Veiled rebuke 2:17-30: God commands Israel to march toward the Land 1:13-18: The appointment of judges 2:31-37: The first conquest Sihon…

Parsha Mattot-Masei

This week’s parsha is Mattot-Masei: Numbers 30:2-36:13 Mattot (30:2-32:42) – (Tribes): Haftorah: Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 (Ashkenazi); Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 (Sephardi) 30:2-17: Vows and oaths 31:42-47: The people’s share 31:1-12: The battle against Midian 31:48-54: The commanders 31:13-20: Moses rebukes the officers 32:1-5:…

Parsha Pinchas

This week’s parsha is Pinchas: Numbers 25:10-30:1 Pinchas (25:10-30:1) – (Phineas): Haftorah: I Kings 18:46-19:21 (Ashkenazi); I Kings 18:46-19:21 (Sephardi) 25:10-15: Phinehas’ zealotry 28:9: The mussaf offerings 25:16-18: A new attitude toward Midian 28:10: Sabbath 26:1-50: The new census 28:11-15:…

Judaism 101: What is the Midrash?

In Rabbinic Judaism, the Midrash is the body of homiletic stories told by Jewish rabbinic sages to explain passages in the Tanakh. Midrash is a method of interpreting biblical stories that goes beyond simple distillation of religious, legal, or moral…

Parsha Balak

This week’s parsha is Balak: Numbers 22:2-25:9 Balak (22:2-25:9) – (Balak): Haftorah: Micah 5:6-6:8 (Ashkenazi); Micah 5:6-6:8 (Sephardi) 22:2-19: Balaam 23:11-17: Balak’s anger 22:20-22: God’s ambiguous permission 23:18-24: Balaam’s second blessing 22:23-27: God impedes Balaam’s path 23:25-30: Balak’s anger and…

Parsha Chukat

This week’s parsha is Chukat: Numbers 19:1-22:1 Chukat (19:1-22:1) – (Decree): Haftorah: Judges 11:1-33 (Ashkenazi); Judges 11:1-33 (Sephardi) 19:1-22: The Red Cow 20:27-29: Aaron’s death and Elazar’s ascension 20:1-3: Miriam’s death and the lack of water 21:1-4: Amalek attacks 20:4-5:…

The Mitzvah of Tzitzit and Women

Speak to the Israelite people and instruct them to make for themselves tzitzit on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe of each corner. (Numbers 15:38)1 You shall make…