by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2023 | Balak
This week’s portion demonstrates the scope of the Israelites’ reputation during their desert travels. Balak, the king of Moab, hears what befell the Amorites when they stood up to God’s people, and decides he does not want to meet a similar fate. He opts to hire...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2023 | Chukat
This action-packed portion begins with the laws of the red heifer, an unusual ritual which causes the participant to become pure, but those involved in the preparation to become impure. From there, the narrative picks up again with the death of Moses’s sister, Miriam,...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2023 | Korach
This portion deals primarily with the rebellion of the eponymous Korah and his followers against the authority of Moses and Aaron. A cousin to the leading brothers, Korah protests Moses’s concentration of power in the family, insisting the entire nation is holy. Only...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2023 | Shelach
This week’s portion focuses primarily on the Sin of the Spies, which results in God’s decree that the Israelites must wander in the desert for forty years instead of entering the land of Israel directly. It also includes details regarding a number of laws, such as the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2023 | Beha'alotcha
This busy portion contains a number of legal and technical details, as well as stories. We are told of the Levites’ appointment as assistants to the priestly service and the celebration of Passover in the desert after the exodus. The preparations and arrangements for...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 10, 2023 | Naso
The portion of Nasso is the longest single portion in the Torah (the combined portions of Matot-Masei, when they are read together, is longer). It continues listing the responsibilities of the various families of Levites which began in Bamidbar. From there, it...
