Naso (Numbers 4:21-7:89), May 30, 2026
This week’s Torah reading, parashat Naso, is the second in the Book of Numbers. Introducing the reading, Rabbi Amy Kalmanofsky writes, “Whereas Leviticus typically focuses on the ritual purity of the sanctuary, Numbers is concerned with maintaining the purity of the camp as a whole.” I must admit, I read this and sigh. Where does […]
Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20): Torah Reading May 16: Wilderness as Learning Space
In English, the fourth book of the Torah is Numbers, named for the census taken at the opening of the book. But in Hebrew, the book is Bamidbar, “In the Wilderness.” The word “wilderness” can connote desolation, loneliness, and danger. It can also connote freedom, connection and inspiration. Perhaps every one of us has encountered […]
Emor (Leviticus 21:1-24:23) Torah Reading May 2, 2026
One of the interesting things about the Torah is that it is not organized by topic. Before we could look everything up on the internet, if you wanted to learn everything the Torah has to say about Shabbat, you had to read most of the Torah to make sure you didn’t miss anything. There is […]
B’ha-alot’cha (Numbers 8:-12:16), Torah Reading June 6: Shining our Lights
June 3, 2026 by Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller • D'var Torah, Julie Saxe-Taller
In Numbers 8:2, as part of the instructions for completing the temple and its contents, we read, “When you kindle light in the lamps…” The description led some to ask why we are to light lamps for God, who is already full of light? Here is a creative response from the midrash, our storehouse of […]