by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 27, 2022 | Community, God, Shabbat, Vayakhel
The fourth of the Ten Commandments instructs the Children of Israel to observe Shabbat on the seventh day because God Himself created the world in six days and rested on the seventh (Exodus 20:8-11). This mitzvah (Torah commandment) is repeated in many places...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 24, 2022 | Community, Isaiah, Prayer, Shabbat, Temple, Tishrei
The Shabbat which precedes Rosh Chodesh (new month), the beginning of a Hebrew month, is referred to as Shabbat Mevorchim, or the Shabbat when we bless. On this Shabbat a special prayer is recited after the Torah is read but before the Torah scroll is returned to the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 21, 2022 | Covenant, Holiness, Shabbat, Temple, Vayakhel
After the instructions for the Tabernacle are given and right before the actual construction of the Tabernacle begins, Moses gives an incongruous message commanding the Jews to rest on Shabbat (Exodus 35:1-3). In no fewer than 12 places, the Torah reiterates the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 16, 2022 | Covenant, Shabbat
Shabbat, the Sabbath, is the seventh day of the week and the culmination of creation. Exodus (31:12-17) gives it an additional special meaning, describing it as “a sign” and “eternal covenant” between God and the Children of Israel. Not only is Shabbat one of the...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 24, 2022 | Faith, Holiness, Israel, Messiah, Mishpatim, Shabbat
The Shemittah comes every seven years, making it a form of Sabbath that occurs on a yearly, rather than a weekly, cycle. Observing the Shemittah acknowledges that the land of Israel belongs to the God of Israel. We work the land for six years, and on the seventh, we...
by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 19, 2022 | Shabbat
After leaving Egypt and seeing the wonders of God’s greatness at the splitting of the Reed Sea, the Children of Israel prepared themselves for three days to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Torah describes how God descended upon Mount Sinai in a fire, accompanied...
