When seen from this perspective, the rules of purity and impurity contained in this portion enable us to deepen our understanding of the overwhelming power of life and the overarching value that the Bible ascribes to it. Life is from God. Life is pure.

Mezora (LEPER) – Leviticus  14:1 – 15:33 As men and women created in God’s image, we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves and to treat everyone with respect. This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest. (Leviticus 14:2) So […]

God understands our need to feel His presence among us. And, like Moses who is reluctant to enter the Tabernacle, when we hesitate, God beckons to us.

A simple structure constructed of volunteered items easily found in ordinary households, the Tabernacle represents the very essence of human freedom and equality.

This week’s Torah portion is the first of four Torah portions that discuss the building of the Tabernacle and the vessels within. The details are amazing – the exact dimensions of the building and of each vessel, the materials used for both inner and outer parts, the shapes, the designs and the exact purpose of each item.

One has to wonder what is so special about this particular place, why did God tell David to go to this specific threshing floor and make a sacrifice? We find the answer that ties everything together and shows us the master plan that God had in mind from the very beginning in 2 Chronicles 3:1 Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem

Will you help protect the children of Nofei Nechemia? Emergency needs are a tricky thing. Like any insurance— medical, life, fire– you invest, paying your premiums month after month, year after year, praying never to cash in on your policy. The people of Nofei Nechemia are concerned for what is most important to them… their […]

Masei (Travels) Numbers 33:1 – 36:13 The Bible recognizes the most basic of human passions, but limits them in order to force human beings to control their behavior.  Chapter 35 details the rules of cities of refuge that are established throughout the Land of Israel, three on the eastern side of the Jordan and three on […]

Moses then reminds them of the sin of the spies who had returned from the Land of Israel and spoke ill of the land, causing the people to doubt the success of their imminent entry. God’s response, of course, was to punish the people and delay the entry for an additional 38 years. Moses fears that if Reuben and Gad remain in the land east of the Jordan, the rest of the people will refuse to enter. After years of experience with the Children of Israel, Moses is quite aware that the littlest provocation can instill fear and lack of faith in the people.

The people of Israel are the only people in the world who were exiled from their land for 2,000 years and yet remained intact as a people and as a faith. What kept us going all those years was the fact that we had the Torah, the Bible, as a guide through the years of exile, and we had a land to yearn for.