by Rabbi Margie Cella
Parashat Chukat begins with the strange ritual of the red heifer: a cow with no blemishes, never yoked, pregnant, or milked that is sacrificed by the priests, who then mix the...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
This week’s parashah tells the story of the ill-fated rebellion of Korach, who, accompanied by two hundred fifty men, rose up to challenge the authority of Moses and Aaron....
by Rabbi Margie Cella
The story of this week’s parashah is a familiar one to many of us: God instructed Moses to send twelve men to scout the land of Canaan. While there, they cut down a branch...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
The parashah begins with God’s command to Aaron to light the lamps of a golden menorah. The Levites are consecrated in place of the firstborn, and given...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
At 176 verses, Naso is the longest parashah in the Torah. It begins with another census of the Leviim, including a delineation of their specific jobs.
Next there is the...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
Two years after leaving Egypt, God instructed Moses and Aaron to take a census of the men of fighting age (twenty and up) by tribe and family. Each tally is noted; the total is 603,550.
The...
by Rabbi Margie Cella
Parashat Bechukkotai, which concludes the Book of Vayikra, Leviticus contains a series of blessings and curses; which ones we receive will depend on whether we are obedient to...
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...
