Va’yikra – Leviticus
What a story has unfurled over the Book of Sh’mot (Exodus). An Israelite, brought up in the heart of Egypt, married to a Midianite woman, is chosen by God to
Vayakhel
Last week, in Khi Thisa, we read of how our ancestors made a golden calf, danced around it and even made sacrifices. How could a generation not so far removed
T’tzavveh
Starting with T’rumah last week, the final sedrot of Sh’mot deal almost exclusively with the Tabernacle and all its furniture and furnishings. Some sages say that what is happening here
Mishpatim
The people have not long been out of Egypt when Moses’ father-in-law Jethro comes to the camp with Tziporah and the children, Gershom and Eliezer. On only the second day
B’Shallach
The first four sedirot of the Book of Sh’mot are worthy of a thriller. They are packed with action and excitement and move at an almost dizzying pace. A small
Va-Eira
The first two sedrot of the Book of Sh’mot are so dominated by the early story of Moses that it is easy to pass over some of the ‘minor’ characters.
Va-y’chi and Bat Mitzvah
Bereshit ends this week in a way which, if it were a traditional novel, would leave its readers with a sense of contented fulfilment. After an epic first few episodes
Mikkeitz
Let’s face it, Joseph was a bit of a pain as a young lad. Snitching on your brothers, especially when they are bigger, older and more numerous than you, is
Va-yishlach
As Jacob prepared his family to meet his brother Esau, whom he hadn’t seen for twenty years and of whom he was mortally afraid, did he realise that his seven
Tol’dot
There’s this man. When he was born, he grabbed his twin brother’s heel. Two peas in a pod? They were more like a wasp and a hornet. When he was
Va-yeira
What I like about our heroes is that they are not too heroic. To a man and to a woman, they are admirable, even great, but each one with his
Noach
It take just two parashot, or eleven chapters, for God to create the universe, equip the earth with the means to support life, populate this earth with living creatures, bring
Sukkot Chol HaMoed
If we were following the sequence of parashot, one after the other, this would be the week of the very last one of Devarim and of the Torah. V’Zot HaBerachah
Shof’tim
A few days ago, in the Today Programme on Radio 4, veteran newsman John Humphrys asserted, while discussing religion with a Christian minister, that the Old Testament is a load
Eikev
Can a woman forget her nursing child, not having compassion on the son of the womb? Yes, they may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved
Chukkat
After all the rebellions and unrest Moses has recently suffered, he must have needed a good Shabbat. The number and intensity of the revolt has been enough to drive any
Sh’lach l’cha
Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch… what is wrong with these people? Anyone would think that Jews were born to complain. Oh, perish the thought? The parsha of B’ha’alot’cha, though, seems full of
Naso
While we have been in the desert for some time now, this is only the second week in the book of the desert. The common image of the desert, or
B’chukkotai
One thing which ancient – and perhaps modern – Jews and Celts share is an attitude towards the land. Both peoples see the land as a space they occupy in
Emor
At our last service, we followed the Orthodox calendar and read Shemini, instead of the double parshiyot of Tazria – M’tzora. As for last week, it was another double parshiyot,