A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT BY RABBI MORDY This week’s Parsha – or double Parsha as it is both Matos and Massei – concludes the book of Bamidbar, Numbers. This ends the first four books of the Torah; the fifth book, Devarim, begins next week and is written very much from Moses’s perspective. Part of the preparation for this shift in… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT BY RABBI MORDY Here we are this week, back at another double portion with Behar and Bechukotai. Behar means, “On the mountain,” referring to Mount Sinai where G-d revealed the Torah to the Jewish nation; the timing is perfect since we are about a week away from the holiday of Shavuot which commemorates this pivotal event.… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT BY RABBI MORDY This week we have a double Parsha (Achareimot-Kedoshim) so there is no shortage of material. They include many laws and stories so it’s not too hard to find one that resonates and can connect to this moment. This week includes what Rabbi Akiva calls “the great principle of the Torah,” the commandment to… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT BY RABBI MORDY This week’s double Parsha (Tazria-Metzorah) speaks about various purities and impurities, detailing the atonement processes, mostly relating to Biblical times. The Torah references to purity here differ in an interesting way from those given in the times of Noah’s Ark, during which Noah is commanded to bring animals, kosher and non-kosher, into the… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY In keeping with the time of year we’re in, I’m going to keep it short and sweet. This week’s Parsha, Netzavim, the fourth to last in the Torah, is the last Parsha of the year; Rosh Hashana is this coming Wednesday night. According to Jewish tradition, we make a blessing on the upcoming new… Read More