Insights on the Parsha & Mo'adim - From Joshua Moshe Mitchell

This week we read פרשת בלק, a פרשה which opens with בלק commanding בלעם to curse בני ישראל. However, quickly בלעם declares that he can only state what HaShem puts in his mouth, and instead is forced to bless the nation despite his desire to fulfil בלק’s requests. The climax of these ברכות is expressed in “מה־טבו אהליך יעקב משכנתיך ישראל - how good are your tents, Ya’akov, your tabernacles, Yisrael...

This week we read פרשת חוקת, a פרשה best known for the פרה אדומה and the incident of מי מריבה. Yet before the episode of striking the rock, an unusual reaction takes place that demands attention. After the nation complains about the lack of water, משה and אהרן enter the אהל מועד, and the Torah states: “ויפלו על־פניהם וירא כבוד־ה׳ אליהם - they fell on their faces and saw the glory of G-d amongst th...

This week we read פרשת קרח, which records the first structured rebellion against משה. The Parsha opens with אבירם ,דתן ,קרח, and the 250 נשיא העדה, princes of the assembly, gathering before משה and אהרן. Their claim is simple: “כל־העדה כלם קדשים ובתוכם ה׳ - the entire community is holy and HaShem dwells amongst them”. If so, why should משה and אהרן stand above everyone else? משה responds by settin...

This week parsha is פרשת שלח, where משה sends the מרגלים to scout out ארץ כנען - a mission which lasts for 40 days. However, upon their return, the spies attempt to rally עם ישראל against entering ארץ כנען, claiming that its inhabitants are too strong to be defeated. Their report sparks an uprising amongst the nation, who even begin to plan a return to Egypt. In response, HaShem declares that this...

This week’s Parsha, פרשת בהעלותך is filled with excitement. The opening half of the פרשה describes עם ישראל preparing for the journey into ארץ ישראל. The לוים are inaugurated into their roles, משה invites יתרו to join them in their conquest, and HaShem details the order of the trumpets which will guide ישראל in their takeover of the promised land. The nation finally packs up and, for the first tim...

This Thursday night, we celebrate שבועות, a חג best known as being זמן מתן תורתנו. It is also one of the שלוש רגלים, one of three festivals of the year where all the men of עם ישראל were commanded to ascend to the בית המקדש to celebrate. However, when comparing שבועות to the other רגלים it seems to be alike only in the obligation of ascent. While the other רגלים each have their own unique מצוות ti...

This week we begin a new book of the Torah, ספר במדבר, starting, of course, with פרשת במדבר. We begin this פרשה with HaShem commanding Moshe to count the Jewish people, where the Torah states: “שאו את־ראש כל־עדת בני־ישראל למשפחתם לבית אבתם במספר שמות כל־זכר לגלגלתם - lift up the heads of all of the congregation of the children of Yisrael according to their families, by their father’s house, count...

This Shabbat we read פרשת בהר-בחוקותי, the final parsha in ספר ויקרא. Most memorable is the portion in בחוקותי which describes the ברכות and קללות that will befall on עם ישראל if they don’t heed the commandments of HaShem. At the conclusion of the curses, the Torah relates their intended impact on כלל ישראל - to humble their hearts, and to lead them to confess their sins. HaShem then states: “וזכר...

This Shabbat we read פרשת אמור, a Parsha in which the ספר החינך counts 63 מצוות being given. 46% of these relate to the מועדים, the festivals of HaShem. They are first commanded in the fourth aliyah, where HaShem states: “דבר אל־בני ישראל ואמרת אלהם מועדי ה׳ אשר־תקראו אתם מקראי קדש אלה הם מועדי - speak to the children of Yisrael and say to them: the festivals of HaShem, which you shall proclaim as...

Following last week’s double parsha, we are met with another this week - פרשת אחרי מות-קדושים. In אחרי מות, HaShem prohibits the consumption of blood, stating that He will “Set His face against” the transgressor, and that they shall be cut off from עם ישראל. The Torah explains the reason behind this restriction, stating: “כי נפש הבשר בדם הוא ואני נתתיו לכם על־המזבח לכפר על־נפשתיכם כי־הדם הוא בנפש...

This week’s Parsha is פרשת תזריע-מצורע, the second double פרשה of the year. Large portions of these פרשיות are dedicated to צרעת, a white lesion-like affliction on the body. This condition is described at the beginning of תזריע where the Torah states: “אדם כי־יהיה בעור־בשרו שאת או־ספחת או בהרת והיה בעור־בשרו לנגע צרעת והובא אל־אהרן הכהן או אל־אחד מבניו הכהנים - when a man has in the skin of his fl...

This שבת we read פרשת שמיני, the third פרשה in ספר ויקרא. This Parsha is most well known for the death of נדב and אביהוא, two sons of אהרן, who offered an uncommanded קטורת before HaShem, and as a result, were consumed by a fire from G-d. Despite this, אהרן and his remaining sons are not allowed to mourn them publicly; instead, they must continue the work in the משכן. As a part of that, משה comman...

This Wednesday night, we partake in the most unique night of the year, ליל הסדר. There, we read the הגדה, highlighted by מגיד. In רבי אלעזר בן עזריה ,מגיד states: “הרי אני כבן שבעים שנה ולא זכיתי שתאמר יציאת מצרים בלילות עד שדרשה בן זומא - I am like a 70 year old, and I haven’t merited to prove that one must speak the exodus from Egypt at night until I heard the Drasha of Ben Zuma.” This statement...

This week’s Parsha is פרשת צו, the second Parsha in ספר ויקרא, where the כהנים are commanded more about the עבודה in the מקדש. Within this פרשה, the Torah states one striking statute about the Mizbeach: “אש תמיד תוקד על־המזבח לא תכבה - A continuous fire shall burn on the altar, it shall not be extinguished.” This פסוק is perplexing and raises several questions: Firstly, what exactly is this אש תמי...

This שבת we read פרשת ויקרא, the opening Parsha of the third ספר in the חמשה חומשי תורה. Commonly referred to as תורת כהנים, much of ספר ויקרא details the עבודה of the מקדש, partically the קרבנות sacrificed there. Many קרבנות are simply referred to as an אשה לה׳ - a fire to G-d, but a select few are given the designation of an אשה ריח-ניחוח לה׳ - a pleasant-smelling fire to HaShem. In our Parsha,...

This week’s Parsha is ויקהל-פקודי, the final פרשה in ספר שמות. At the end of the ספר, after the משכן is fully assembled, the Torah states: “ויכס הענן את־אהל מועד וכבוד ה׳ מלא את־המשכן - and the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of HaShem filled the Mishkan.” As a result of this כבוד, Moshe was unable to enter the אהל מועד. The תורה then describes the ענני הכבוד, illustrating that it...

On Monday night, we will begin Purim, a חג that, at least at first glance, seems to commemorate the events and miracles that took place 2400 years ago in שושן. Unlike חנוכה, this חג has a ספר in מגלת אסתר :תנ”ך. There, we are given the reasoning behind the name ‘פורים’. The פסוק states: “על־כן קראו לימים האלה פורים על־שם הפור על־כן על־כל־דברי האגרת הזאת ומה־ראו על־ככה ומה הגיע אליהם - Therefore, t...

In this week’s Parsha, פרשת תצוה, the Torah goes more in depth on the משכן, specifically focusing on the appointment of אהרן and the כהנים. One of the essentials for their service is, of course, their בגדים (clothing) - as it’s how they are presented to HaShem and the rest of the world. Therefore, HaShem commands that only very specific individuals be permitted to make this clothing, as the Torah...

This Shabbat, we will read פרשת תרומה, where HaShem commands בני ישראל in building the משכן, and its fixtures. However, before G-d mandates the creation of every vessel, He instructs us to build a מקדש for Him. As the תורה states: “ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם - And make Me a Mikdash, and I will dwell amongst them.” This פסוק is quite perplexing. Firstly, what does it mean to build a מקדש? If this is...

This week’s Parsha is פרשת משפטים, where, following מתן תורה, the Torah turns to legal matters and lays out a multitude of prohibitions. In the midst of these laws, the Torah states: “זבח לאלהים יחרם בלתי לה׳ לבדו - One who sacrifices to gods shall be destroyed - to HaShem alone!” This verse is incredibly difficult. We were already commanded regarding the איסור of עבודה זרה; in fact, it’s the seco...

This week’s Parsha is פרשת יתרו, highlighted by the descent of G-d onto הר סינו and the giving of the 10 commandments. But, before יתרו ,מתן תורה comes to the מחנה ישראל (Camp of Yisrael) bringing Moshe’s wife צפורה and their two sons. The Torah then records their names, stating: שם האחד גרשם כי אמר גר הייתי בארץ נכריה - the name of one was Gershom - because he said: I was a stranger in a foreign...

This week’s Parsha is פרשת בשלח, which includes the splitting of ים סוף and בני ישראל’s song of praise to HaShem (אז ישיר). In the aftermath of these events, בני ישראל, now famished, demand food - even claiming that without it, יציאת מצרים would have been pointless. HaShem responds to their request, stating: “הנני ממטיר לכם לחם מן־השמים ויצא העם ולקטו דבר־יום ביומו למען אנסנו הילך בתורתי אם־לא - B...

This week’s Parsha is פרשת בא, where we read of בני ישראל’s exodus from מצרים. After the Jews are freed, HaShem tells Moshe that בני ישראל need to sanctify their בכורים (firstborns), stating: “קדש־לי כל־בכור פטר כל־רחם בבני ישראל באדם ובבהמה לי הוא - Sanctify Me all the firstborn, opener of the womb amongst Bne’i Yisrael, man and animal, they are Mine.” HaShem then pauses and speaks about the form...

This week we read פרשת וארא, the Parsha where HaShem begins to inflict the plagues on Egypt. The פרשה opens with HaShem instructing משה to speak to Pharaoh, to command him to release עם ישראל. However, after seeing that בני ישראל didn’t listen to him earlier, Moshe responds:  “הן בני־ישראל לא־שמעו אלי ואיך ישמעני פרעה ואני ערל שפתים - and behold, Bne’i Yisrael hasn’t listened to me, how would Phar...

This week we will read פרשת שמות, the very first פרשה in ספר שמות. In this Parsha, we are told of עם ישראל’s great persecution by the מצרים, which leads them to cry out to HaShem. As HaShem hears their cry, he begins to manifest his plan for their salvation, starting by speaking to משה. Here, when informed that HaShem will bring בני ישראל out of מצרים to ארץ כנען, Moshe replies that they won’t bel...