Tetzaveh (You shall command) Exodus (Sh’mot) 27:20-30:10
Torah Portion: Tetzaveh (You shall command) Exodus (Sh’mot) 27:20-30:10
Haftorah Reading: Ezekiel 43:10-27
Tonight, there are several things I want us to look at that I think are important for us today. The first thing is the coming holiday of Purim. Purim begins on Monday evening, March 9th, at sundown. The Torah portion we read tonight can be connected to this holiday and in fact is always read before Purim.
T’rumah (Contribution) Exodus (Sh’mot) 25:1-27:19
Torah Portion: T’rumah (Contribution) Exodus (Sh’mot) 25:1-27:19
Haftorah Reading: I Kings 5:26-6:13
Tonight, we begin a series of four Torah portions that discuss the building of the Mishkan or Tabernacle and all of the items included in that construction. When Israel came into the Land their Tabernacle was set up in Shiloh and remained there for 369 years until Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem.
Our portion begins with G-d speaking to Moshe, instructing him to take a contribution from the people to provide all the materials needed in the construction project. Later in Sh’mot/Exodus 35:21-29 we read where both men and women were included in this contribution. This makes the point that this was shared by everyone, all the people of Israel, not just a few. Everyone had a part in the building of the Mishkan.
Yitro (Jethro) Sh’mot/Exodus 18:1-20:23
Torah Portion: Yitro (Jethro) Sh’mot/Exodus 18:1-20:23
Haftorah Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6
Tonight, we read a Torah portion that contains some of the most iconic words in scripture, the Ten Commandments. But I would like to begin with my question this week about the Hebrew phrase found in Sh’mot/Exodus 18:10, “Baruch Ha Shem commonly translated as “Bless the L-rd.” What does it really mean to bless the L-rd? Does G-d need our blessing or does it have a deeper meaning that could almost be a statement of faith.
B’shallach (And It Came to Pass) Exodus (Sh’mot) 13:17-17:16
Torah Portion: B’shallach (And It Came to Pass) Exodus (Sh’mot) 13:17-17:16
Haftorah Reading: Judges 4:4-5:31
This Torah portion begins with the actual Exodus from Egypt that will not end until we get through the last book of Torah. It begins with verse 13:17 where we read that G-d took them the long way around rather than the more direct route by way of the Philistines. The question arises why did He choose the long way rather than a direct path? What do you think? Keep in mind also that before this portion ends we read of the people fighting and winning a battle with the Amalekites. So, there must be a deeper reason other than the fear of war.
One reason may be hinted at in the Hebrew word for Egypt. This word is Mitzryim. In Hebrew it means limits or restrictions. Remember these people lived for 400 years in a place that had strict limits on their lives. You can take a slave out of Egypt but it takes time to take slavery out of the slave. I think this time in the wilderness was to give them time to learn new boundaries for their lives, more G-dly boundaries. For the first time they had to make choices on their own and deal with the results of those choices.
Va’era (And I Appeared) Exodus (Sh’mot) 6:2-9:35
Torah Portion: Va’era (And I Appeared) Exodus (Sh’mot) 6:2-9:35
Haftorah Reading: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21
Tonight, we read of G-d sending Moshe and Aaron on their mission to bring the people out of Egypt and take them to the Land of Promise. To begin, I want to just mention verse 6:9. I have probably mentioned this every year but I consider it important for us to remember. In this verse we read where the people did not listen to Moshe because of their anguished spirit. The word in Hebrew is better translated as shortness of spirit. The people, after 400 years of slavery, had been beaten down to the point of accepting their plight as slaves.
Sh’mot (Names) Exodus (Sh’mot) 1:1-6:1
Torah Portion: Sh’mot (Names) Exodus (Sh’mot) 1:1-6:1
Haftorah Reading: Jeremiah 1:1-2:3
Tonight, we begin a new book of Torah. The name of this first portion is Sh’mot in Hebrew. If you translate this word to English it is, “Names” but the book, in English is called Exodus. This book begins by listing the names of the Israelites who went down to Egypt.
Vayechi (And He Lived) B’resheet/Genesis 47:28-50:26
Torah Portion: Vayechi (And He Lived) B’resheet/Genesis 47:28-50:26
Haftorah Reading: I Kings 2:1-12
Tonight, we read the last portion of Genesis. This portion covers the end of Jacob’s life as well as that of his son Joseph. It is interesting that the name of this portion is, “And He Lived,” but then goes into great detail of Jacob’s last days. If you remember we saw this same thing in the portion about the death of Sarah. What point do you think is being made here in our portion and also in the one about Sarah? I believe the important point being made is how have we lived our life; how did we spend our days? I pray for each of us this urgency of living over-rides the death that comes to us all.
Vayigash(And He came) B’resheet/Genesis 44:18-47:27
Torah Portion: Vayigash(And He came) B’resheet/Genesis 44:18-47:27
Haftorah Reading: Ezekiel 37:15-28
Tonight’s Torah section begins with one of the most dramatic scenes in Torah. It begins with Judah coming to Joseph and basically whispering in his ear. He relates how he is ready to take his brother Benjamin’s place and become a slave. He goes on to explain how taking Benjamin would be a death blow to their father Ya’akov.
Mikketz (And Then It Came to Pass) B’resheet/Genesis 41:1-44:17
Torah Portion: Mikketz (And Then It Came to Pass) B’resheet/Genesis 41:1-44:17
Haftorah Reading: I Kings 3:15-4:1
Tonight, we celebrate the 7th night of Chanukah as well as study our Torah portion called Mikketz. I think as we go through this we will see some connections between the two subjects. After our study we will do Havdalah to mark the end of the Sabbath and then light the 7th candle of the holiday.
First let’s look at Chanukah and see what spiritual insight we gain from this holiday. To begin, let’s look at a little history about this holiday. The setting is Israel about 2200 years ago. Israel at the time was under the rule of the Greek Empire. Alexander the Great had conquered the known world years before. As a result, Greek culture was introduced across the known world. Part of the Greek culture was to introduce their own religious faith and life, both centered on the worship of the physical body and philosophy. The Greek system of religion was basically based on the worship of mankind and this was the focus of their culture. They promoted intellect and the beauty of the human body as ideals to be held up for admiration and even worship.
Vayeishev(And He Settled) B’resheet/Genesis 37:1-40:23
Torah Portion: Vayeishev(And He Settled) B’resheet/Genesis 37:1-40:23
Haftorah Reading: Amos 2:6-3:8
Over the next four weeks we will read of the brothers and Joseph. This makes up the longest of all narratives in Torah. It includes all the intrigue and suspense of a well written drama. Every detail is important as we read through this story. It includes the first biblical account of forgiveness when Joseph forgave his brothers. We will get to that later as we near the end of B’resheet/Genesis.