Parshat Balak (Numbers 22:2-25:9) Rabbi David Stav Fearing an Israelite takeover of Moabite territory should the People of Israel pass through his realm, King Balak of Moab summons the prophet (and idolatrous wizard) Balaam and asks him to curse the Jewish
Parshat Chukat (Numbers 19:1 – 22:1) Rabbi David Stav “The entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Zin in the first month, and the people settled in Kadesh”. The Torah never specifies when the main events
Parshat Korach (Numbers 16:1 – 18:32) Rabbi David Stav This Shabbat, we will have a dispute in the synagogue. Korach and his followers rebel against Moses, and the story of the most infamous dispute in the history of the Jewish People
Parshat Shelach (Numbers 13:1 – 15:41) Rabbi David Stav Parshat Shelach features the story of the twelve spies dispatched by Moses to scout out the land. The story ends tragically, when, after forty days, the spies return and cast heavy doubts
Parshat Behaalotcha (Numbers 8:1 – 12:16) Rabbi David Stav The Jewish People had encamped adjacent to Mount Sinai, and is now beginning its march toward the Promised Land. But before heading out, Moses turns to his father-in-law, Yitro, and proposes that
Parshat Naso (Numbers 4:21 – 7:89) Rabbi David Stav Parshat Naso opens with an account of the Jewish people’s last-minute preparations as they continue their journey to the Promised Land. The Tabernacle (“Mishkan”) at the heart of the encampment has been
Parshat Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1 – 4:20) Rabbi David Stav This Shabbat, we will read Parshat Bamidbar, which begins the fourth of the Five Books of Moses. This book has two names: one is Sefer Bamidbar, and the other, Chumash Hapekudim, a name
Shavuot Rabbi David Stav One of the enigmas with which our Sages struggled is the meaning behind where the Torah was given. A desert can provide an awe-inspiring backdrop, but it is usually far away from inhabited areas and the
Parshat Behukotai 5778 (Leviticus 26:3-27:34) Rabbi David Stav This Shabbat, we will conclude the reading of the third book of the Torah – the Book of Leviticus (Vayikra) – and the process by which the commandments were given at Mount Sinai.
Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5778 (Leviticus 16:1-20:27) Rabbi David Stav This Shabbat, we will read the Torah portions Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. Though these two parashot ostensibly cover entirely different subjects, they share something profound in common, which is also tied to how
Tazria-Metzora 5778 (Leviticus 12:1-15:33) Rabbi David Stav This Shabbat, we will read the double-parsha of Tazri’a–Metzora in our synagogues. Dozens of verses outline the symptoms of various skin diseases that appear on people’s heads, in their beards, in their clothes and
Shemini 5778 (Leviticus 9:1-11:47) Rabbi David Stav Following Passover, we resume reading the regular series of Torah readings, which contain the inauguration of the mishkan, the Tabernacle. After months of fund-raising to acquire the funds needed to build the mishkan, and a
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