PARASHOT

Parashat Ki Tisa

In our Parasha this week, we have not one but two very dramatic events which are extremely telling about our humanity and our Creator. One brings us down to the depths of corruption and the other elevates us back to being the reflection of HaShem. I am talking of course [...]

Parashat Shemot (Ex 1:1 – 6:1)

December 25, 2021 Though it is translated as “Exodus” (and it does begin the story of the Exodus of the children of Israel), the title of our Parasha gives us a hint of the main theme that runs through it. This theme is best expressed through Ex 2:25: וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים [...]

Parashat Vayeishev (Gen 37:1 – 40:23)

By Ariane Leonhard Today’s Parasha starts with the sentence: וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב בְּאֶ֖רֶץ מְגוּרֵ֣י אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֖רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan I would like to suggest that this sentence gives us the key to understanding a most important truth in [...]

Parashat Bereshit

We just finished a cycle of reading the Torah and are starting a new one. May it be as King David sang in Ps 23:3 ”ינחני במעגלי-צדק למען סמו“ּ(yancheni b’maglei-tzedek l’maan shmo) I am grateful that we have another year to continue discovering the treasures hidden in Torah. And it [...]

Parashat Beshalach

Any mother can relate to the story of the Exodus when she gives birth. The difference though is that at the Exodus, a whole nation is birthed. In both cases, as the baby exits the womb, or as Israel exits Egypt, the water breaks and the drama is there with [...]

Parashat Vayigash

Bereshit 44:18–47:27 Our Parasha opens up with Judah’s heartfelt request to the Prime Minister of Egypt also known, though not to him, as his brother Joseph. As quoted in my Chumash: “With Judah’s selfless offer of himself as a substitute for Benjamin, Joseph finally had irrefutable proof of his brothers’ [...]

Parashat Vayeitzei

Bereshit 28:10–32:3 For this week’s d’var Torah, I would like to zero in on a couple words that are repeated in both the opening verses and last verses of our Parasha, framing, like book ends, its message to us: In my Chumash they are translated as “he encountered” and “the [...]

Parashat Lech Lecha

Bereshit 12:1-17:27 In the last two parashot, the story was told to us of the beginning of creation, culminating in what seemed to be its crown, humanity made in the image of the Creator. Sadly, our tale continues with the tragic recounting of the epic descent of this beautiful, amazing [...]

Parasha Nitzavim Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20)

As I read the two parashot for this Shabbat, their names struck me as a fundamental key to their understanding: Nitzavim – You stand Vayeilech – And he went I am going to take a little bit of creative liberty here to extract the simple message I read into those [...]

Parashat Eikev (Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25)

In last week’s parashat Etchanan, Moshe retold the story of how they received the 10 words on Mt Sinai. In this week’s parashat Eikev he continues his story. What struck me in how he tells it in both parashot is how many times he used a form of the word [...]

Parashat Balak: Numbers 22:2–25:9

Our story in this week’s parasha starts with a terrified Balak, king of Moav. Upon realizing what Israel had done to the Amorites, he summons Bilam, son of Beor, to come and curse them for him. He is told by G-d that he can only repeat the words as He, [...]