Parasha of the Week

  B’khor Shor comments on the verse, “Make sacral vestments,”  to be used in the holy place; not to come dressed in everyday clothing because this is not ‛way of honor.’ They should wear clothing “of dignity and of adornment.”  “Next you will instruct all who are skillful,” that is to say, just as I commanded those who are skillful to make the Tabernacle, so do I command them to make the clothing. People should not say: Aaron will reward those who make his clothing and so too,  “they will receive the gold,” just as I wanted them to take offerings for the Tabernacle, so too should they take gold and offerings for the clothing.   B’khor Shor remarks that “sacral vestments” mean the priests are not to attend to their duties in “everyday clothing.” Second, he spells out the parallelism between the Tabernacle and the clothes. Third, the clothing will not be fashioned by one talented tailor but rather by the whole community. Truly, clothi...

  “I prefer a sinner who knows he a sinner to a righteous man who knows he’s righteous.”    Hasidic   “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.”   Numbers 12:3 It is said that Moses is the most humble of all people.  Early on he forfeited his protected status as prince of Egypt when he saw a taskmaster torturing a Jew.  Not long after, God came to Moses and asked him to be his emissary to the Pharaoh.  He steadfastly refused until God ordered him back to the court in Egypt.   In numerous  encounters afterward, Moses' authority is challenged by relatives and  his people.  There is a single episode where Moses' silence in the face  of a verbal assault from his brother in sister that God actually comes to  rise to the deense of the silent leader.  The Lord says to Aaron and  Miriam, ''In my entire house, he (Moses) is the tru...