Personal Parsha

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Personal Parsha: Pekudei. Moshe

The tabernacle, mishkan, was worked on for a few months and dedicated on the first of Nissan. The last parsha in Shmot is read this Shabbat, and in it this big project is described – vessel by vessel.

Personal Parsha: Shmot. Midwives

In this week’s parsha, we meet two extraordinary women, two midwives. They defied Pharoah because they believed that his decree – to kill all baby boys born to Jews – was immoral and against God’s values and plan for the world.

Personal Parsha: Miketz. The Butler

In this week’s parsha, the butler, 2 years after his release from jail, finally remembers to tell Pharaoh about Joseph. After no one succeeds in interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, the butler tells him about Joseph who interpreted his and the baker’s dreams successfully.

Personal Parsha: VaYeishev. Yehuda

In this week’s parsha, Yehuda, brother #4, tries to stop his brothers from leaving Yosef to rot in a pit. After the brothers had followed Reuven’s idea and thrown Yosef into a pit, Yehuda sees merchants traveling by and says (Chapter 37, verse 26) that they should sell Yosef to these traveling salesmen and make some money. “Why kill him?” Maybe that’s too extreme, after all…

Personal Parsha: VaYetze. Rachel

If you were Rachel and your husband Jacob tells you it’s time to leave your father’s house and go join the family of your in-laws, the monotheistic Abrahamic family, how would you say goodbye? What could Lavan, Rachel’s father, really understand about what it’s like to answer a call from G-d? So how would you explain it or say goodbye?

Personal Parsha: Tetzaveh. Aharon

This week’s Torah reading, Parshat Titzaveh, seems obsessed with clothes! Aharon is told to wear very fancy expensive clothes when he was doing the service in the Tabernacle. He wore 8 different articles of clothing, and the regular priests wore four. That is some uniform! And the punishment for not wearing them or for even changing something on one part of the uniform, was karet – death.

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Personal Parsha: Terumah. Fundraiser for the Mishkan

This week’s Torah reading is about the commandment to build the mishkan, the tabernacle, i.e. a sanctuary for God. How can God fit into a home? Clearly this is meant to be a symbolic representation of His dwelling in our midst. As the verse says quite clearly:

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Personal Parsha: Mishpatim. Ex Slave

In this week’s Torah reading, we learn that as Jews who have been through persecution and who know what it feels like to be victimized, we should have a high level of empathy. We cannot mistreat any of OUR workers and we cannot abuse the helpless in our communities.

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Personal Parsha: Yitro.

In this week’s Torah reading, we begin by hearing about Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law. The Torah tells us that he heard everything Hashem did for Moshe and His nation…

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Personal Parsha: Beshalach. Miriam

Imagine this: The Jewish people have just crossed the Red Sea and they’re singing with Moshe, as is recorded in this week’s Torah reading (Chapter 15). Then Miriam takes an instrument and begins to sing too. And all the women follow her and take their instruments and sing with her.

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