This is a double parsha, made up of parshas Behar and Bechukotai. The seven aliyot of this week’s reading are indicated by special aliyah markings within those two parshas in the Chumash. Parshiyot Behar and Bechukotai are power-packed doubleheaders, this one emphasizing the connection between the Jew and Eretz Yisrael. The lunisolar Hebrew calendar contains up to 55 weeks, the exact number varying between 50 in common years and 54 or 55 in leap years. In leap years, parshah Bechukotai is read separately. In common years, parshah Bechukotai is combined with the previous parshah, Behar, to help achieve the needed number of weekly readings. Behar: The thirty-second reading from the Torah and second-to-last reading from the book of Leviticus is called Behar (בהר), which means “On the Mountain.” The name comes from the first words of the first verse of the reading, which could be literally translated to [...]
Read full story »
Yom Kippur,יום כיפור means "Day of expiation". It occurs on the tenth day of the month of Tishrei and puts an end to the "Ten Days of Awe" which are the days of repentance that start on the first day of the month of Tishrei, for Rosh Hashana. Each one is called on this special day ...
…In the seventh month, on the first of the month, there shall be a sabbath for you, a remembrance with shofar blasts, a holy convocation. -Leviticus 23:24 (Note: when any Bible holiday falls any day, that day becomes Shabbat / Sabbath, even if it is Tuesday). Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashana ...
הבשורה טובה הגאולה What language was the Besora Tova HaGeula (Good News of Redemption) written in? Most people will tell you it was written in Greek. They go on to tell you that it was the "language of the day". They say everything during that ...
The Hebrew word "tzedakah" is commonly translated as "charity" or "tithe." But this is misleading. "Charity" implies that your heart motivates you to go beyond the call of duty. "Tzedakah," however, literally means "righteousness" — doing the right thing. A "tzaddik," likew ...
Jewish prayer is an aid to developing a meritorious attitude and a commendable way of feeling. Therefore, Jews actively seek reasons to praise God’s creation. There are Jewish prayers to be said when witnessing a falling star, when hearing the clap of thunder in the clouds, when seeing a rainbow, when noticing the first bud of spring on the b ...
Speak to the children of Israel, saying: “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Shabbat-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation” (Vayikra / Leviticus 23:24). The shofar is/was blown on the first of Tishri, the seventh month of the Jewish religious calendar. It is Yom Teruah, “the ...
Va’etchanan, Deuteronomy 3:23 – 7:11 is this week’s Torah portion. It is the tale of Moshe pleading with the Most High to enter the Promised Land, and the response of the Holy One answering Moshe will see the Promised Land. He retells the people’s history, stressing this is a first for people to have a relationship with the ...
If a man makes a vow to HaShem or takes an oath imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not break his pledge; he must carry out all that has crossed his lips. [Numbers 30:3] This week we have a double portion Matot (Tribes) and Masei (Journeys). I will focus this week on Matot. The first Aliyah has Moses instructing Israel concerning vows. It i ...
This Website is Powered by HaShem
Jewish Categories
