Torah Portions Unknown

This is our d’rash (commentary) on the torah portion, Be’har or “on the mount.” In this portion, the Scripture details two other commands of rest – the sh’mittah (sabbatical year) and the yovel (jubilee). One of the prevailing concepts in this sidrah is that the land is God’s and is, therefore, expected to be in […]

This is a commentary on the Torah portion Emor – “say.” This torah portion turns its attention back to the priests and their responsibility to maintain higher standards of purity. Though addressing the priests, we who have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light to be a royal priesthood should take note of the […]

This is a commentary on the Torah portion Kedoshim – “Holy.” If  the previous portion begins what is regarded as lev ha’torah (the heart of the Torah), this portion is the “heart of the heart.” This sidrah defines the call to Israel to be holy “because I the LORD your God am holy.” This portion emphasizes the […]

This is a commentary on the Torah portion Acharei Mot – “After the death.” This portion begins what is regarded as lev ha’torah (the heart of the Torah) and emphasizes how the Creator is to be approached and uses the death of Aaron’s sons to make the point that it must not be done “at […]

This is a commentary on the Torah portion Metzora – “Leper.” In the previous Torah portion we learned about the affliction of tzarat and how it was the physical manifestation of a spiritual malady. In Metzora, instruction is given as to the procedure when a metzora is healed of his affliction. The distinctions between this ritual […]

This is a commentary on the Torah portion Tazriah – “Conceive.” Where the previous Torah portion emphasized those animals whose carcass could render someone unclean, this portion focuses on contamination resulting from what emanates from humans. The greater part of this sidrah details the plague of tzarat, most commonly treated as “leprosy,” yet as we see, […]