Among the sacrifices detailed in this week’s parsha is the korban todah , the thanksgiving offering: If he offers it [the sacrifice] as a thanksgiving offering, then along with this … more

The laws of sacrifices that dominate the early chapters of the Book of Leviticus are among the hardest in the Torah to relate to in the present. It has been almost two thousand years since the … more

The Torah in Parshat Vayakhel, which describes the making of the Mishkan, goes out of its way to emphasize the role women played in it: •The men accompanied the women, and those who wanted … more

W itnessing the birth of a new idea is a little like watching the birth of a galaxy through the Hubble Space Telescope. We can witness just such an event in a famous rabbinical commentary to a key … more

Why is the Torah so specific and emphatic, in this week’s Parsha, Tetzaveh, about the clothes to be worn by the Kohanim and the Kohen Gadol? “These are the vestments that they shall … more

From here to the end of the book of Exodus the Torah describes, in painstaking detail and great length, the construction of the Mishkan, the first collective house of worship of the Jewish people. … more

In Parshat Mishpatim we witness one of the great stylistic features of the Torah, namely its transition from narrative to law. Until now the book of Exodus has been primarily narrative: the … more

There’s an enthralling story about the Ten Commandments and the role they played in Jewish worship and the synagogue. It begins with a little-known fact. There was a time when there were … more

For the first time since their departure from Egypt, the Israelites do something together. They sing. Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the L-rd. Exodus 15:1 Rashi, … more

It is no accident that Parshat Bo, which deals with the culminating plagues and the Exodus, should turn three times to the subject of children and the duty of parents to educate them. As Jews we … more