In the Torah, if you read some of the dialogues between Moses and Pharaoh as Moses is trying to let his people go, if you read it as a pragmatic gift of 600,000 people so that little Jewish brother can start his own state, you can see that Pharaoh is making sure that Moses knows…
From chabad.org: Bo in a NutshellExodus 10:1–13:16The name of the Parshah, “Bo,” means “Come [to Pharaoh]” and it is found in Exodus 10:1. The last three of the Ten Plagues are visited on Egypt: a swarm of locusts devours all the crops and greenery; a thick, palpable darkness envelops the land; and all the firstborn…
Shabbos is for everyone. Shabbos is not working on Saturdays. Shabbos is saying a prayers of thanks to God on Friday. It’s not only for Jewish people. Everyone needs a day off. Life without a day off is slavery and slavery is hell. Friday night candle lighting ceremony And for words and music that actually…
Phaedrus simply isn’t having it this evening. Hillel feels the need to explain himself again as is usually the case. Thus, the apothecary shop is either drawing or chasing away customers as the argument goes. There is a small silence and then phaedress makes his opening jab. So these are the words that come into…
From chabad.org: Vayechi in a NutshellGenesis 47:28–50:26The name of the Parshah, “Vayechi,” means “And he lived” and it is found in Genesis 47:28. Jacob lives the final 17 years of his life in Egypt. Before his passing, he asks Joseph to take an oath that he will bury him in the Holy Land. He blesses…
From chabad.org: Vayigash in a NutshellGenesis 44:18–47:27The name of the Parshah, “Vayigash,” means “And he approached” and it is found in Genesis 44:18. Judah approaches Joseph to plead for the release of Benjamin, offering himself as a slave to the Egyptian ruler in Benjamin’s stead. Upon witnessing his brothers’ loyalty to one another, Joseph reveals…
From Chabad.org Miketz in a NutshellGenesis 41:1–44:17The name of the Parshah, “Miketz,” means “At the end” and it is found in Genesis 41:1. Joseph’s imprisonment finally ends when Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows that are swallowed up by seven lean cows, and of seven fat ears of grain swallowed by seven lean ears. Joseph…
From chabad.org Vayeshev in a NutshellGenesis 37:1–40:23The name of the Parshah, “Vayeshev,” means “And he dwelt” and it is found in Genesis 37:1. Jacob settles in Hebron with his twelve sons. His favorite is seventeen-year-old Joseph, whose brothers are jealous of the preferential treatment he receives from his father, such as a precious many-colored coat…
From chabad.org: Vayishlach in a NutshellGenesis 32:4–36:43The name of the Parshah, “Vayishlach,” means “And he sent” and it is found in Genesis 32:4. Jacob returns to the Holy Land after a 20-year stay in Charan, and sends angel-emissaries to Esau in hope of a reconciliation, but his messengers report that his brother is on the…
I find myself stuck in the mirror. No matter how much I simply want to do something, the focus of attention just comes back to me. Not the work. Not the ideas. Not even if it’s fun to read. Nothing. Just staring at me. So it’s about being Jewish in a newly minted anti-Semitic world….
I just want to talk about a piece of writing that really was important to me. This is the two stories of Hillel the scribe. In the first episodes, he and his friend Phaedrus The apothecary would gather in the apothecary’s tent to smoke over the days events. Neither of them was pleased with how…
From chabad.org: The name of the Parshah, “V’Zot HaBerachah,” means “And this is the blessing,” and it is found in Deuteronomy 33:1. The Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret Torah readings are from Leviticus 22-23, Numbers 29, and Deuteronomy 14-16. These readings detail the laws of the moadim or “appointed times” on the Jewish calendar for festive…
From Chabad.org: Haazinu in a NutshellDeuteronomy 32:1–52The name of the Parshah, “Haazinu,” means “Listen” and it is found in Deuteronomy 32:1. The greater part of the Torah reading of Haazinu (“Listen In”) consists of a 70-line “song” delivered by Moses to the people of Israel on the last day of his earthly life. Calling heaven…
From Chabad.org: Nitzavim-Vayelech in a Nutshell Deut. 29:9–31:30The name of the Parshah, “Nitzavim,” means “Standing,” and it is found in Deuteronomy 29:9. The name of the Parshah, “Vayelech,” means “And [Moses] went,” and it is found in Deuteronomy 31:1. The Parshah of Nitzavim includes some of the most fundamental principles of the Jewish faith: The…
From Chabad.org: Ki Tavo in a NutshellDeuteronomy 26:1–29:8The name of the Parshah, “Ki Tavo,” means “when you come,”. Moses instructs the people of Israel: When you enter the land that G‑d is giving to you as your eternal heritage, and you settle it and cultivate it, bring the first-ripened fruits (bikkurim) of your orchard to…
From Chabad.org: Ki Teitzei in a NutshellDeuteronomy 21:10–25:19The name of the Parshah, “Ki Teitzei,” means “when you go out,”. Seventy-four of the Torah’s 613 commandments (mitzvot) are in the Parshah of Ki Teitzei. These include the laws of the beautiful captive, the inheritance rights of the firstborn, the wayward and rebellious son, burial and dignity…
From Chabad.org: Shoftim in a NutshellDeuteronomy 16:18–21:9The name of the Parshah, “Shoftim,” means “Judges”. Moses instructs the people of Israel to appoint judges and law enforcement officers in every city. “Justice, justice shall you pursue,” he commands them, and you must administer it without corruption or favoritism. Crimes must be meticulously investigated and evidence thoroughly…
From Chabad.org: Re’eh in a NutshellDeuteronomy 11:26–16:17The name of the Parshah, “Re’eh,” means “See,” and it is found in Deuteronomy 11:26. “See,” says Moses to the people of Israel, “I place before you today a blessing and a curse”—the blessing that will come when they fulfill G‑d’s commandments, and the curse if they abandon them….
From Chabad.org: Va’etchanan in a NutshellDeuteronomy 3:23–7:11. The name of the Parshah, “Va’etchanan,” means “I entreated”. Moses tells the people of Israel how he implored G‑d to allow him to enter the Land of Israel, but G‑d refused, instructing him instead to ascend a mountain and see the Promised Land. Continuing his “review of the…
From Chabad.org – Devarim in a NutshellDeuteronomy 1:1–3:22The name of the Parshah, “Devarim,” means “the words” and it is found in Deuteronomy 1:1. On the first of Shevat (thirty-seven days before his passing), Moses begins his repetition of the Torah to the assembled children of Israel, reviewing the events that occurred and the laws that…
From Chabad.org: Matot-Masei in a NutshellNumbers 30:2–36:13The name of the Parshah, “Matot,” means “Tribes,” andthe name of the Parshah, “Masei,” means “Journeys,”. Moses conveys the laws governing the annulment of vows to the heads of the tribes of Israel. War is waged against Midian for their role in plotting the moral destruction of Israel, and…