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…and make firm the tottering knees.” Nitzavim (נִצָּבִים) – Vayelej (וַיֵּלֶךְ) 16 Elul 5780 By Alejandro Alvarado: Before these holidays, we read this double portion that we studied before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Our Creator reaffirms His covenant by speaking to His people in the merits of Abraham, Isaac and Yaakov, reminding them of […]
if we don’t apply it to our lives?” The reading of this week when we have missed our Rabbi Percy Johnson is understood from the pshat (פשט direct meaning) pointing out the following: Devarim 26: 1 says: “And it shall be when you come into the land which the LORD your God gives you as […]
Blog Ki Tetze Elul 9 5780 בלוג כִּי-תֵצֵא, ט’ אלול תש”פ In Parashah Ki Tetze Moshe randomly presents seventy-four injunctions as if he is trying to remember everything that he wanted to say before he left. I challenge you to read them and see to which of the Ten Commandments each is referring. Some scholars […]
Blog Shoftim Elul 2 5780 בלוג שֹׁפְטִים, ב’ אלול תש”פ Act, Speak Up against Injustice! Parashat Shoftim שֹׁפְטִים begins with the appointing of judges, shoftim שֹׁפְטִים and officers, shotrim ְשֹׁטְרִים (also policeman or leaders) entreating us to always pursue justice… “צֶדֶק צֶדֶק, תִּרְדֹּף Justice, justice, you must pursue”. This sense of justice lies deep within […]
Blog Re’eh Av 25 5780 בלוג רְאֵה, כ”ה אב תש”פ This parashah Re’eh (See) begins with a blessing (brachah)בְּרָכָה and a curse (klalah) קְלָלָה. Moshe was warning (tokhechah – תוכחה) his people, for their own good, that if they obeyed the principles that the Bore Olam handed him at Mount Sinai, things would go well […]
Blog Ekev Av 18 5780 בלוג עֵקֶב, י”ח אב, תש”פ This portion Ekev together with Vaetchanan, emphasizes the first three of the Ten Principles given by our Creator to Moshe Rabenu at Har Sinai. These Ten Principles are divided into three parts, with the first three being mitzvot (commandments) from which we learn that the […]
Blog Va’etchanan Av 11 5780 בלוג וָאֶתְחַנַּן, י”א אב תש”פ The word Va’etchanan וָֽאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן, “I pleaded” is related to the word חַנַּ֖ן chanan which means grace or mercy. It depicts someone who is requesting an undeserved gift. In Gematria, the sum of its letters is 515, which according to our sages, represents the number of […]
Blog Devarim Av 4 5780 בלוג דְּבָרִים, ד’ אב תש”פ Devarim is the last of the five books of the Torah and is the only one written directly by Moshe. Our sages say that it was written one month before he died and that he felt pressured to help the Israelites learn from the mistakes […]
Blog Mattot-Masei Tammuz 26 5780 בלוג מַּטּוֹת-מַסְעֵי, כ”ז תמוז תש”פ Keep your Word! These two portions, Mattot (Tribes) – Masei (Journeys) end the fourth book of the Torah Bamidbar (Numbers). Mattot emphasizes the subject of vows. Our people, Israel had made a vow to “do and obey” the Ten Commandments that Moshe had brought down […]
Blog Pinchas Tammuz 19 5780 בלוג פִּינְחָס, י”ט תמוז תש”פ This portion is called Pinchas, who was a Cohen since he was the first-born son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son. It is important to note here that Pinchas’ mother was a Midianite. If he was already a cohen why would the Creator have given Pinchas an […]