Tonight, the Jewish community will begin Shabbat (the Sabbath) by reflecting upon the themes in Emor (Leviticus 21:1-24:23; Ezekiel 44:15-31) which starts with the following words: “The Lord spoke to Moses: Speak to the Children of Aaron, and say to them…” Later rabbinic commentary (in the Talmud) quotes this verse, but instead of saying “emor … Continue reading Emor →

This Shabbat, Jews around the world will observe the Shabbat HaGadol (the Great Sabbath) that precedes Passover, by reflecting upon the themes in the Torah Portion Tzav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36; Jeremiah 7:21-28; 9:22-23) which describes how Aaron and his sons had to spend seven days inside the Sanctuary, in order to be initiated into the priesthood. … Continue reading Tzav →

Tonight, as we begin Shabbat (the Sabbath), Jewish communities around the world will reflect upon the themes of Vayikra (Leviticus 1:1-5:26; Isaiah 43:21-44:23) which begins with the Holy One calling out to Moses and instructing him to enter the newly built Sanctuary. This biblical section is immediately preceded by last week's biblical passage from the … Continue reading Vayikra →