This week's parsha is a pointed reminder that the safety and security of the Jewish people (and really any minority people) is deeply linked with the favor of those who rule the land. When Pharoah was pleased with Joseph, his whole family was invited to come down to Eygpt to live, his father's death was mourned by the whole nation, and a retinue of honor escorted Jacob to his burial place. And then " A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph." and the fates change f

This week Avraham sends Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac. The Torah recounts in a high level of detail of the conversation between the two men before Eliezer sets off, the plan Eliezer makes to ensure he finds the right wife, and the interaction of Eliezer and Rebecca at the well. And then, it gives it all to us AGAIN when Eliezer explains the story to Rebecca's family. There are 15 pasukim dedicated to this repetition and, given the importance of each word in the Torah, it b

Sing it with me... Hashem is here,Hashem is there,Hashem is truly everywhere!(x2) Up, up, down, down,Right, left, and all around!Here, there, and everywhere,That’s where he can be found! Want to hear it? Check it out . This Jewish children's music classic became an earworm for me as I did a close reading of the beginning of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. In two places, directions are used that feel off because God is everywhere. The first is when God is telling Abraham hi

To-rah, to-rah, to-rah To-rah, to-rah, to-rah To-rah Tzvialnu Moshe! If you heard what we called the Torah Parade song in your head when...

This week we have the double parsha of Mattot-Masei. They get paired because they are both pretty short, but they have a lot of...

As the Israelites journey in the desert, they have a number of victories over the nations/tribes that they come across so it's not...

In our parsha this week, the story of the Israelites returns to the Wilderness of Zin. Perhaps the Wilderness of Zin sounds familiar....

It's hard to think of Parshat Korach and not think of the dramatic, made-for-movies events of the earth opening up and swallowing the...

It's a disappointing week for Am Yisrael in this week's parsha. They choose to follow the guidance of the 10 spies who report that,...

Our parsha continues with the description and listing and categorization of the Jewish people in the desert. Within the Levites some of...

I was working on this week's #parshainspiredmenus on the bus on the way to the Celebrate Israel parade and got some great ideas from my...

Have you heard this trend of Marry Me Recipes? It's a recipe sensation on TikTok and other social media platforms. I did a little...

We had a very interesting disucssion at Shabbat mincha last week about the public nature of having to proclaim to others that you have...

With Pesach starting as Shabbat departs, this Friday night is a bit complicated to cook for...you're not supposed to have anything that...

Last week we closed out the creation of the mishkan and now we move into lots of information about the kind of sacrifices that can and...

Today's post is alternately titled "God loves Jewish bloggers" as a quote directly from our 14 year old that made me laugh pretty hard....

If you've been reading along in the Torah or my #parshainspiredmenus blog, you might notice that the details of this week's parsha feels...

The common theme in the #parshainspiredmenus dishes this week is fresh fruit and veggies, though not for the same reason. I'll explain....

In 2000 we were living in Stuyvesant Town and attended Town & Village Synagogue. I remember that one week a member of the congregation...

This parsha is just packed through with laws, which makes sense given its name. One of the passages that caught our attention is the...