Mitzvah d'var

In my Torah portion, Parashat Sh’lach L’cha, which is found in the book of Numbers, chapter 13: verses 21-33, the Jews have escaped from Egypt and are now coming across the desert to the promised land, or the Land of Israel. G-d tells Moses to send scouts into Israel, a representative from...Read more...

My portion ( Beha’alotcha ) is from chapter 8 verses 1-12 the book of Numbers, which is the fourth book of the torah. The name means the mounting of the menorah. Some of the things that happen in my Torah portion include how to create the seven branch menorah and how to...Read more...

My Torah portion is Vayetzei and is from Genesis 28:10-32:3.  In it, Jacob traveled to Haran in search of his uncle Laban. On the way there, he has a dream about angels...Read more...

The oppression of the Israelites by the Pharaoh of Egypt was a tortuous time, the idea of slavery itself is horrific, and yet Abraham’s reaction was indifferent. You...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom.  So, in my Torah portion, God spoke to Moses and Aaron and told them how to purify stuff. He said: “You need a red cow. Then, give it to the priest. He’ll brutally murder it and sprinkle its blood 7 times. Then, burn it, all of it, even its dung. Throw...Read more...

The portion I just chanted from the Book of Numbers is the first portion from that book and is called B’Midbar.  It opens by telling us that on the first day of the second month two years following the exodus from Egypt, G-d orders Moses to take a census. It is not a...Read more...

My parshah, or Torah Portion, tells the story of Noah.  Most everyone knows the story of “Noah and the Ark”.  You know about the Ark, the great flood, and the animals that came on in twosie, twosies. Studying this parshah I learned that there is so much more to question...Read more...

The Torah refers to the five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The five books of Moses tell a story, the story of the creation of the world, the story of the Jews breaking free from the Egyptians and wandering the desert for 40 years before...Read more...

Today we gather to celebrate an ancient right of passage…..thanks to the wonders of modern technology.

There are many intersections of the past and present as evidenced by the word of the Torah and how closely they mirror current events.  Allow me to...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom.

My torah portion, Lech L'cha, tells the story of Abraham leaving his land to go to Canaan. God calls upon Abraham and tells him to leave the land he lives in to go somewhere new, telling him he will bless him, and he will be a blessing. Abraham took with him...Read more...