by Rabbi Margie Cella Parashat Behar describes the shmita, sabbatical year, occurring every seven years as a sabbath for the land, when nothing is to be harvested. After seven cycles of...
by Rabbi Margie Cella Parashat Emor begins by delineating the laws governing the cohanim, the priests: they may only defile themselves to bury parents, siblings (brothers, or sisters...
by Rabbi Margie Cella Parashat Kedoshim contains the Holiness Code: God instructs the nation, “you shall be holy, for I am holy.” This is followed by a listing of mitzvot whose observance God...
by Rabbi Margie Cella After the death of his two sons, Aaron is warned that he may go into the holy of holies only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, when he is to wash and don his priestly garments,...
by Rabbi Margie Cella The centerpiece of the seventh day’s Torah reading is Shirat haYam, Moses’ song of praise after the people of Israel experienced God’s deliverance from Pharaoh and his army of...
by Rabbi Margie Cella The Torah reading for the first day of Pesach tells of the night we were liberated from Egypt: each family sacrificing a lamb, spreading its’ blood on the doorpost and lintels...
by Rabbi Margie Cella This week’s parashah continues to outline the laws regarding leprosy and bodily discharges. The categories of people that are declared unclean are: anyone afflicted with צרעת...
by Rabbi Margie Cella This week is a three Torah Shabbat! The weekly parashah outlines the laws governing a woman’s impurity after childbirth. She is unclean for one week, plus an additional 33 days...
by Rabbi Margie Cella The priests finished their week of isolation; it was time to dedicate both them and the mishkan. The action took place on the eighth (שמיני) day. Moses commanded Aaron...
by Rabbi Margie Cella This week’s parashah continues the description of the various types of sacrifices. Here we learn about the burnt, meal, sin, guilt, and peace offerings: what was sacrificed,...
