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Naso 2017

This week’s parasha Naso contains (among other ideas) more on the census,  laws of the Nazarite vows, the priestly blessing, and laws of some sacrifices or offerings. The priestly blessing is what we use as part of the hazzan’s repetition of the Amidah and the Kohanim (priests) say it one Yom Tov (Ashkenazi diaspora minhag ) in front of the shul. The blessing asks God to bless us and make peace.     The Nazirite takes a vow to not drink wine (or any grape product) or vinegar, not to shave or cut his hair and devote himself to the LORD. The management lesson is that humans are always dependent on God.   The priestly blessing is like a crown on the sacred order of the Israelite world.   The Israelites left Egypt, built the Tabernacle and now they are making the journey to the Land of Israel.   The blessing for is for life, health, prosperity and peace.   All important parts of successful human experience.   No matter how hard we work at keeping peace, the divine blessi
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Bamidbar 2017

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במדבר 5777 This Torah portion, Bamidbar, begins the fourth book of the Bible and shares the same name. The Hebrew name is taken from the first sentence, while it is known in English as Numbers because of the census taking.   God tells Moshe to take a census to know how many are in the community of Israel.   Th vocalization in the Hebrew text would indicate the pronunciation is, "bi-midbar" meaning the indefinite "a dessert." Since the Israelites are only in one dessert (or wilderness)  the meaning is "in the dessert."  Therefore we usually call the book, "Ba-midbar" with the definite, "ba," meaning "in the." Since Passover, we have read several double Torah portions and the weekly portion was not always the same in Eretz Yisrael and the diaspora. Now we can read this same parasha on the Shabbat before Shavuot, the festival of the giving of the Torah. This portion is always read on the Shabbat before Shavuot.
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