Torah Portion

Articles on the weekly Torah readings, including inspiration and explanations.

Parashat Teruma: Make Me a sanctuary for Me to dwell in

There are a number of midrashim (non-literal interpretations) that reflect the relationship between God and Israel as manifested in the Tabernacle.

Parashat Mishpatim: The Jewish consciousness of ‘hessed’

You must assist him even at the expense of helping a righteous person who also needs aid – so that you may overcome the inclination to hate that person within your heart.

Parashat Yitro: Preceding the Torah

Good character traits – especially those expressed in accepting those who are different and understanding their pain and feelings – are a prerequisite for receiving the Torah.

Parashat Yitro: Hearing the silence, seeing the sound

Comprehension begins within us, including our understanding and encounter with God – the universal web that connects us to everything and everybody.

Parashat Beshalach: The path to victory

Unite the nation through love and kindness, and we will defeat the descendants of Amalek.

Parashat Beshalach: How to cross the Reed Sea

We are at a watershed moment, and we need to respond from courage, artfulness, and faith, – not from despair. It’s time to cross the Reed Sea together.

By RAPHAEL SHUCHAT
07/02/2025

Parashat Bo: Beautiful as the moon

The commandment of sanctifying the month is not merely a technical instruction for those who establish the calendar on how and when to determine the new month.

Parashat Va'era: Pharaoh’s sin of hubris

The blessing that led Pharaoh to the sin of arrogance is the very thing that will turn into a curse.

Parashat Shemot: Compassion and respect for others

Redemption and progress cannot come at the expense of another’s dignity.

Parashat Shemot: Women as leaders

The remarkable story of six heroines – six courageous women without whom there would not have been a Moses.

By RABBI JONATHAN SACKS
17/01/2025
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