Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Nasso A MAN OR WOMAN WHO SETS HIMSELF APART BY MAKING A NAZIRITE VOW TO ABSTAIN FOR THE SAKE OF THE LORD. HE SHALL ABSTAIN FROM NEW WINE AND AGED WINE… HE SHALL NOT EAT ANY PRODUCT OF THE GRAPE VINE, FROM SEEDS TO SKINS. (Bamidbar 6) Sinner or Holy Man? Shemuel said: Anyone who perseveres in fasting is called a sinner. He agreed with the Tanna who taught: R. Elazar HaKafar said in...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Behar – Behukotay AND THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSES, SAYING, SPEAK TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND SAY TO THEM: WHEN A MAN EXPRESSES A VOW, VALUE OF LIVES TO THE LORD… AND IF SIXTY YEARS OLD OR OVER, IF IT IS A MALE, THE VALUE SHALL BE FIFTEEN SHEKELS, WHILE FOR A FEMALE, IT SHALL BE TEN SHEKELS. (Vayikra 27: 1-2,7) And if sixty years...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Emor AND MOSES TOLD TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. SO THEY TOOK THE BLASPHEMER OUTSIDE THE CAMP AND STONED HIM, AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID JUST AS THE LORD HAD COMMANDED MOSES. (Vayikra 24:23) The place of execution had to be outside the Israelite camp (Sanhedrin 42b, "outside the three camps"), outside the city. If the law court itself was outside the city, the place of execution had to be some...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Tazria – Metzora THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE PERSON AFFLICTED WITH LEPROSY, ON THE DAY OF HIS CLEANSING: HE SHALL BE BROUGHT TO THE PRIEST. THE PRIEST SHALL GO OUTSIDE THE CAMP, AND THE PRIEST SHALL LOOK, AND BEHOLD, THE LESION OF LEPROSY HAS HEALED IN THE AFFLICTED PERSON. THEN THE PRIEST SHALL ORDER, AND THE PERSON TO BE CLEANSED SHALL TAKE TWO LIVE, CLEAN BIRDS, A CEDAR STICK, A STRIP OF CRIMSON...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Achary Mot – Kedoshim YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT A PERVERSION OF JUSTICE WITH MEASURES, WEIGHTS, OR LIQUID MEASURES. YOU SHALL HAVE TRUE SCALES, TRUE WEIGHTS, A TRUE EPHAH, AND A TRUE HIN. I AM THE LORD, YOUR GOD, WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT. (Vayikra 19:35-36) It forbids us even to have an imperfect weight or measure in our possession, it forbids us to be careless in measuring or weighing our...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shmini BUT THESE YOU SHALL NOT EAT AMONG THOSE THAT BRING UP THE CUD AND THOSE THAT HAVE A CLOVEN HOOF: THE CAMEL, BECAUSE IT BRINGS UP ITS CUD, BUT DOES NOT HAVE A CLOVEN HOOF; IT IS UNCLEAN FOR YOU. (Vayikra 11:4) From every clean animal… R. Yudin said in the name of R. Yohanan and R. Brekhia said in the name of R. Eliezer, and R. Ya'akov of Kfar Hanin said...
(link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Tzav IT CAME TO PASS AT THE END OF FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS, AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THAT VERY DAY, THAT ALL THE LEGIONS OF THE LORD WENT OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT. IT IS A NIGHT OF ANTICIPATION FOR THE LORD, TO TAKE THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; THIS NIGHT IS THE LORD'S, GUARDING ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THROUGHOUT THEIR GENERATIONS. (Shemot 12:41-42) It is a night of anticipation – On it they were...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Vayikra SPEAK TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND SAY TO THEM: WHEN A MAN FROM YOU BRINGS A SACRIFICE TO THE LORD; FROM ANIMALS, FROM CATTLE OR FROM THE FLOCK YOU SHALL BRING YOUR SACRIFICE. (Vayikra 1:2) Adam ki yakriv mikem you brings]: This may be read as allowing for human sacrifice, since it could have been formulated less ambiguously as Adam mikem ki yakriv. However, Scripture has...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Vayakhel-Pekuday AND THE CLOUD COVERED THE TENT OF MEETING, AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD FILLED THE TABERNACLE. MOSES COULD NOT ENTER THE TENT OF MEETING BECAUSE THE CLOUD RESTED UPON IT AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD FILLED THE TABERNACLE. WHEN THE CLOUD ROSE UP FROM OVER THE TABERNACLE, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SET OUT IN ALL THEIR JOURNEYS. BUT IF THE CLOUD DID NOT RISE UP, THEY DID NOT SET OUT UNTIL THE...