Parasha of the Week

Life is a journey that starts at conception and ends when our soul is returned to its Maker.  Yet in between those two poles are numerous journeys that we undertake during our lifetimes.   Bamidbar, the name of the Torah parasha this week, is about one such journey.  In fact, the name Bamidbar, means “in the desert.”  This forth book of the Torah is all about the journey that the Jewish people undertook as they traveled through the wasteland of Sinai in search of their ultimate freedom in the Land of Israel. At the outset the Jewish nation is numbered: they are counted by each contributing one shekel, a small amount of money.  In all there were 603,550 people.  That is the same number of letters in the Torah. What this means is that every Jew is represented by a letter in the holy scroll.  All are needed.  All are necessary.  All are vital.  If a letter of the Torah is missing it...

Time is the centerpiece of this week’s Torah parasha, B’har.  The scene takes place on Mt. Sinai.  Moshe Rabbenu stands before God and listens as God delineates the meaning of time.   The clocks ticks, seconds pass and that time is never returned to us.  Yet, God indicates that time well used gives meaning to our actions and our lives.  We are told from the outset, at the start of Genesis, that one day of the week is holy, Shabbat.  It is to be treated as such.  God, like any good teacher or parent, indicates how we ought to behave to showing us hat not to do on Shabbat.  He ceases from all manner of creative work. Moshe Rabbenu is then directed to teach the people to leave the corners of their fields (peah) to the poor whenever they harvest their crops.  Then each seventh year is declared a year of replenishment of the earth.  The ground cannot forever yield its good ness without it...