Monthly Archives: February 2019

A THOUGHT FROM THE TORAH READING—Ki Tissa There is much to talk about in this Torah Reading: the Golden Calf, a review of the holidays, the Half-Shekel, the final instructions for the desert Sanctuary, “not boiling a goat in its … Continue reading →

A THOUGHT FROM THE TORAH READING—-Terumah 2019 The Torah reading begins with a call for Israelites to donate materials for building the sanctuary. In a few chapters we will read about the “half shekel.” In some endeavors, it is important … Continue reading →

A THOUGHT FROM THE TORAH READING Shmot 2018 (5779) The Israelites were fruitful—Jewish traditional exegesis assumes they grew from 70 to 600,000 in a few generations (the genealogy of Moses suggests there were only four generations from Jacob to Moses). … Continue reading →

A THOUGHT FROM THE TORAH READING Vaera 2019 This week Targum Pseudo Jonathan, an ancient Aramaic bible translation, caught my attention. Instead of saying the rod Aaron cast down before Pharaoh became a “serpent,” Ps. Jonathan renders this as hivi … Continue reading →

A THOUGHT FROM THE TORAH READING—Bo 2019 “This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you” (Ex. 12:2). Jewish tradition, perhaps focusing on the word … Continue reading →

A THOUGHT FROM THE TORAH READING Beshalah 2019 This reading is rich in topics: Pharaoh, Freedom, Song, Amalek, and much more. But I have not spoken about manna and quail. This topic comes up in a few different locations in … Continue reading →

A THOUGHT FROM THE TORAH READING Yitro 2019 Among the texts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls was a complete text of Isaiah, dating from over 2100 years ago. The Isaiah Scroll reads “Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts…” … Continue reading →

A THOUGHT FROM THE TORAH READING Mishpatim 2019 One of the more controversial topics associated with this Parasha is the question of abortion, mentioned in Ex. 21:22: “And should men fight and hit a pregnant woman, and she miscarries but … Continue reading →

A THOUGHT FROM THE TORAH READING Tetzaveh 2019 This week’s reading includes the beautiful garments of the High Priest, the lighting of the menorah, the burning of incense, and many other items. Some readers today are fascinated by the details, … Continue reading →