by Rabbi Margie Cella
Here’s a bit of trivia for all those who love numbers: this week’s parashah, Shemini (“eighth”), is the only parashah whose name has a number in it. It tells the story of the...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
This week we will gather at our Seder tables with family and friends to mark the beginning of the Pesach holiday. In the Book of Exodus, Moses’ name appears 290 times, Aaron’s 31...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
In last week’s parashah, Vayikra, we learned of five different types of sacrifices. Moses was called by God to explain the details of each to the children of Israel (i.e., the people...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
This week we begin the third book of the Torah, Leviticus. Much of this week’s parashah, as well as the entire book, is concerned with the sacrificial system of the Tabernacle. All...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
This week we have a double parashah to complete the book of Shemot. The first, Vayakhel, tells how God instructed Moses to collect gifts from among the people that would comprise...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
This week’s parashah is probably known best for the story of the golden calf. Tradition tells us that two groups of people did not participate in this great sin: the Levites, and...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
This is the eighth parashah in the book of Shemot, meaning “names.” Throughout the book, we have seen the significance of names: which are included and which are absent. Tetzaveh...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
Now that the people had experienced Revelation at Mount Sinai, they needed to construct a sanctuary where they could continue to encounter God’s presence. Many raw materials were...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
This week’s parashah contains 53 mitzvot covering a wide variety of subjects governing our relationships with God and our fellow human beings.
I am going to concentrate on the...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
Now that the people of Israel had passed safely through the Red Sea, with the threat posed by Pharaoh and his army finally eliminated, they traveled towards Sinai, where they would...
