Three years ago, on Shemini Atzeret, I arrived at shul ready to lead Hallel. Rabbi Fryer Bodzin greeted me and asked me to sit down. She told me that there had been an attack in Israel. I don’t remember what else she said. I do remember crying—and then realizing that I had a job to do, a holy job. I slowly donned my tallit, wrapping it around my head, pausing to ask God for help: to find a voice of comfort and care...

We all find the month of Tishrei extremely hectic. No sooner do we hear the final blast of the Shofar at the conclusion of Yom Kippur than we begin to build our Sukkahs in anticipation of Sukkot. The sticker on the door of Reb Steve’s office jokingly says: “No sleep until Cheshvan.” All joking aside, the calendrical proximity of the holy days accounting for the intense, action-packed Jewish marathon in Tishrei...

The hail came Wednesday night. By morning, my rear windshield was a mosaic, sixty-five thousand households were dark, and Beth Tzedec—as I write—still has no power. And then Shabbat arrives, and Moshe says: אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם “You are standing this day, all of you.” Listen to the verb. Nitzavim—planted, braced, stationed. It is what you call someone who has had something come at them and has not moved...

The hail came Wednesday night. By morning, my rear windshield was a mosaic, sixty-five thousand households were dark, and Beth Tzedec—as I write—still has no power. And then Shabbat arrives, and Moshe says: אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם “You are standing this day, all of you.” Listen to the verb. Nitzavim—planted, braced, stationed. It is what you call someone who has had something come at them and has not moved.

Our parashah this week begins with: וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה “When you enter the land that Adonai your God is giving you as a heritage…” (Deuteronomy 26:1) There is something wonderfully direct about the opening words of Parashat Ki Tavo. The Torah imagines the Jewish people not simply as people who believe in the Land of Israel, pray toward Jerusalem

If you pause and listen closely in the coming days, you can almost feel the change in the air. Elul has arrived. The morning shofar begins to call us out of our summer routine, and familiar melodies of the High Holy Days slowly begin to return. A phrase here, a melody there, a tune we may not have heard since last Yom Kippur. Somehow, before we are ready to explain it, the music already knows that the season has begun.

This Sunday morning, I will stand in the pulpit of Timothy Eaton Memorial Church and do something I rarely get to do: tell a room of Christian neighbors the Akedah—Abraham and Isaac on the mountain, the ram caught by its horns, the midrash of angels’ tears falling on a boy’s closed eyes—and watch a story most of you could recite in your sleep land on them as something entirely new. Somewhere near the end, I’ll lift my shofar

This Shabbat we will announce the coming of Rosh Chodesh Elul, which begins the following Thursday and Friday. On Friday, August 14, the first of Elul, we will begin blowing the shofar every weekday morning until Rosh Hashanah, except for the eve of Rosh Hashanah. It is one of Judaism’s most evocative customs. The Torah does not command blowing the shofar before Rosh Hashanah. The practice emerged from a rich tapestry of...

When my husband and I were living in Jerusalem, one of the first Jewish ritual objects we bought together was a wooden challah board. We etched into it a verse from this week’s parashah, Ekev: כִּי לֹא עַל־הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדּוֹ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם, כִּי עַל־כָּל־מוֹצָא פִי ה’ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם “For human beings do not live on bread alone, but by everything that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) Every Friday night, as we...

This week’s parasha, Va’etchanan, contains two cornerstone texts of Jewish tradition – the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy’s version) and the first paragraph of the Shema. Each is a centrepiece of how to live Jewish lives, but their proximity within the parasha teaches us an additional important lesson. The Ten Commandments instruct us to revere God and follow God’s laws. By presenting these rules at the moment of divine revelation...

On Tisha B’Av we read the book of Lamentations (Eichah) mourning the destruction of the Temple and subsequent exile into Babylonia. The Hebrew word אֵיכָה (Eichah) can mean “Alas” or “How.” Opening the sorrowful book with the word Eichah, the prophet Jeremiah decries Israel’s calamities and asks “How,” as if to say: “HOW could this have happened to you? HOW could you have let this happen to yourselves? HOW could you have been...

As the Book of Bamidbar comes to a close, the Torah lists each of the Israelites’ forty-two encampments in the wilderness. At first, it is unclear why they chose the spots they did and why we are being told about it. But the Kedushat Levi, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, offers a profound insight: none of these stops was random. The Israelites remained at each place for exactly as long as they needed. Every encampment held...

In music, there’s a trap we all try to avoid: focusing too much on the solo. A singer can hit every note perfectly, but if they aren’t listening to the musicians behind them, it isn’t really music anymore. It just becomes about the person standing at the front. This, in many ways, was Korach’s mistake. In this week’s Torah portion, Korach leads his famous protest against Moses and Aaron. The story starts with the words: “And Korach took…”

Perhaps one of the most sustaining elements of Jewish community is the requirement of a minyan, a quorum of 10 Jewish adults to pray together and perform some of our most meaningful rituals (kaddish, sheva brachot, burial rituals- TB Megillah 23b). Surprisingly, the source of the minyan, proven through rabbinic logic, is traced to the 10 spies in this week’s parasha, who influenced the Jewish people to take a negative stance...

There are so many connections between the Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof, which I saw earlier this week, and Parashat Naso. At first glance, Parashat Naso seems to be about structure and logistics. We read census numbers, tribal offerings, the responsibilities of the Levites, and the careful functionJune is recognized as Pride Month by LGBTQ+ communities, grassroots organizations, activists, and governments around the world...

There are so many connections between the Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof, which I saw earlier this week, and Parashat Naso. At first glance, Parashat Naso seems to be about structure and logistics. We read census numbers, tribal offerings, the responsibilities of the Levites, and the careful functioning of the Mishkan. But beneath all of those details is a much deeper spiritual question: how does a community hold...

"You can’t have your cheesecake and eat it too." In Judaism, you can. Our tradition contains complementary and sometimes contradictory narratives about the origin of the Festivals, from which they each obtain more than one name. Sukkot is both the Festival of Booths and Chag HaAsif, the festival of ingathering the crops. Passover is both Pesach, recalling the paschal sacrifice, and Chag HaMatzot, the Festival of Unleavened Bread...

The Book of Book of Numbers begins with a striking phrase: “וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי” “God spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai” (Numbers 1:1). Before revelation can continue, before the people can journey forward, they must first be in the midbar: the desert. The Rabbis noticed that Torah is not given in a palace, a city, or a place of comfort, but specifically in the wilderness. The work of Midrash...

The second Torah portion of this week’s double-parasha, Parashat Bechukotei, is the formal covenantal agreement that concludes the Book of Leviticus. The framework is a classic quid-pro-quo. God requires that the Israelites follow the laws and regulations set out in the book, and if they do, God will reward them with agricultural sustenance – the most critical part of ancient existence. If the people do not follow the laws...

In Parashat Emor, immediately following the laws of counting the Omer and the celebration of Shavuot, we are reminded of our responsibility to care for the poor as well as refugees in the land (Leviticus 23:22). This is done by leaving a corner of every field unharvested (peah) and also not returning to pick up any dropped gleanings (shichecha). These grains and sustenance are set aside for the most vulnerable members...

We are all familiar with the renowned commandment in this week’s Torah portion from Leviticus 19:18 “you shall love your fellow as yourself.” It forms the basis for Hillel’s maxim when asked by a gentile to summarize the Torah in one sentence: “That which is distasteful to you, do not do to another person. The rest is commentary; now go study the commentary” (BT Shabbat 31a). However, the preceding commandment in that verse...

It felt almost bashert that a menopausal pimple appeared on the left side of my chin this week. I say that with a bit of a smile because when we read this week’s parshiyot, Tazria and Metzora, it almost feels like we are gently and persistently being invited to turn our attention to the surfaces we might otherwise rush past: the blemishes, discolorations and those small but stubborn things that refuse to disappear...

Years ago, I created a game for my students exploring Passover customs from around the world. It’s a playful mix of Apples to Apples and Dictionary: a collection of unique traditions is placed into a hat or basket, and students work in teams to guess both where each custom comes from (with a list of possible countries/regions on the board—plus a few decoys!) and what it symbolizes. Because, of course, every part...

In 1917, at the height of World War I, two British cartographers arrived in a small Welsh village to map the area. Upon reaching the local peak, which villagers had climbed for generations and held in high esteem, the surveyors checked their instruments and announced, “This is not a mountain. It is merely a hill. It is 250 feet short of the official requirement to be labelled a mountain on the King’s map.”

The placement of the story of the Golden Calf in Ki Tissa—between the instructions for the building of the Mishkan (portable Tabernacle) in Terumah-Tezaveh, and the account of its construction in Vayakhel-Pekudei—is the most striking structural feature of Exodus. Two classical and two modern commentators differ in emphasis, theology, and method, but they agree that the order forms a theological meditation on betrayal, intercession...

This week in Parashat Tetzaveh, we encounter the mitzvah of the ner tamid: וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל… לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד You shall command the children of Israel… to light an eternal flame (Exodus 27:20) This translation of the ner tamid conjures an image of something mystical and self-sustaining, a light that almost magically never goes out. But the medieval commentator Abraham ibn Ezra notes that tamid does...

This week’s Torah portion, Terumah, is an interior designer’s dream. We read about the instructions for the creation of the holy objects and tapestries that will be inside the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary where the Israelites will worship God in the desert. The level of detail provided is extremely precise. There is extra care given to ensuring that the furnishings in God’s dwelling place are built perfectly. These items...

This week’s Torah portion contains within it many laws or mishpatim—judgements. The first set pertains to slaves, to the rules regarding freeing them, keeping them, and what to do if they have wives and children. I am engaging in a Torah study called A Healing Journey Through the Torah – Trauma, Resilence and the Tree of Life.  Today, as my chevruta (study partner) and I worked through this text, our teacher, Rabbi Lisa Goldstein...

Every year when we read Parashat Yitro, I always find myself thinking of the late Maurice Chriqui z”l, a longtime Beth Tzedec member whom many of you know and remember fondly. The reason is because of one special verse. In the beginning of the Torah portion, Moses goes out to greet his father-in-law Yitro in the desert: וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה לִקְרַאת חֹֽתְנוֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ וַיִּשַּׁק־לוֹ וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ אִישׁ־לְרֵעֵהוּ לְשָׁלוֹם וַיָּבֹאוּ הָאֹֽהֱלָה:

Songs have an unparalleled ability to capture the emotional truth of a moment. In many ways, every major milestone in our lives can be linked—by theme or by memory—to a particular song. Shirat HaYam, the Song of the Sea, encapsulates the experience of our ancestors: the awe, joy, and possibility they felt as they finally emerged from two centuries of captivity...

In the year 1999 I was privileged to staff the first ever set of Birthright Israel trips. Throughout my twenties and thirties, I was fortunate to accompany six different trips. Back then, the rules for eligibility were much stricter.  Participants needed to have never been to Israel on a peer trip before. For so many of them, it was their first time ever in the country, and I was able to experience Israel...

In Parashat Va'eira, God reveals something new, not about who God is, but about how God is known: וָאֵרָא אֶל־אַבְרָהָם… וּשְׁמִי ה לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but by My name YHVH I was not fully known to them.” (Ex. 6:3) The Torah suggests that the ancestors knew God through promise. This generation will come to know God through history, through struggle...

Parashat Shemot opens with the story of the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt: suffering hardship and oppression, their voices seemingly unheard. The people cried out under their harsh labour, yet according to the “Kli Yakar”—Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntshitz —until this point, their cries were only complaints, not genuine supplications before God...

By: Archbishop Christian Lépine and Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl In December, even as the days grow shorter and the nights longer, Jews and Catholics celebrate the holidays of Hanukkah and Christmas. Advent candles and Hanukkah lamps are to be found throughout Canada, their respective symbolisms mirrored in other winter solstice festivals, both ancient and modern, that find spiritual meaning...

As we are about to enter the eight, light-filled days of Chanukah, I find myself returning to a personal story shared by Rabbi Minna Bromberg, a fellow Hebrew College alumna and the founder of Fat Torah. In her moving reflection in a blog post, “A Miracle of Fat”, Rabbi Bromberg recalls a moment of joy, a Chanukah party for preschoolers, that was ruined by the sting of a fatphobic...

Most of us are familiar with Yerushalayim shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold), the Israeli classic by Naomi Shemer. Composed in 1971, it has become associated with Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) and is a second national anthem of sorts. The phrase “Jerusalem of Gold”, predates the song by centuries and comes from a legend that appears in various versions in both the Jerusalem and...

In this week’s parashah, Jacob stops for the night, places a stone under his head, and dreams one of the most famous dreams in our Torah: a ladder stretching from earth to heaven, with angels moving up and down. When he awakens, Jacob proclaims, “Surely God is in this place, and I did not know it!” (Gen. 28:16). His dream becomes a turning point, offering assurance,...

Of our three Biblical forefathers, the Torah spends the least amount of time on Isaac. The Abraham narrative is spread out over 14 chapters of Genesis, and Jacob’s life occupies 9 chapters of Genesis. Isaac’s story only accounts for 3 chapters in total, all focused into this week’s Parashat, Toldot. Why does our Torah spend so little time on Isaac? All we seem to know about his...

At first glance, Parashat Chayei Sarah opens with sorrow. Sarah has died, and Avraham must find a burial place for her. Yet the parashah’s title means “The Life of Sarah.” Why? Our tradition reminds us that Jewish life is not about avoiding loss—it is about responding to loss with faith, hope, and life. Avraham grieves deeply, but he does not remain frozen in...

It says a lot about Lot In last week’s parashah, we met Abraham’s nephew Lot. As both Abraham’s and Lot’s prosperity increased, quarreling began between the herdsmen of Abraham’s cattle and those of Lot’s. The immediate actions of Abraham to mitigate the discord clearly illustrates his magnanimity: “Let there be no strife between you and me, between my herdsmen and...

In our parashah this week, Avram and Sarai begin their epic journey. There are so many unknowns in their future, but God promises them: “venivrechu vecha”—those who you encounter will be blessed through you. Last Thursday, I celebrated with the Paul Penna community (where my kids go to school) as they welcomed a new Torah into the building. This Torah, which is many decades.

Sometimes, when in a storm, it is appropriate to batten down the hatches and wait it out. If the storm is prolonged, efforts to maintain high spirits are essential for when the storm subsides and the hatches are once again undone and lifted up. In this week’s Torah portion, Noach is directed to build an ark in which he, his family and two of every creature will wait out the flood and...

The Torah begins again this week. Out of the void, the chaos, and the darkness, creation emerges. It is a story we know well—but never the same way twice. Every year when we begin again, we bring to the text everything we have lived through since the last time we read it. This year, Bereisheet comes as the world itself feels suspended between darkness and light. After nearly...

Dear Friends, With the new year just around the corner, most of us still have a long list of things to get done. I don’t mean the pre–Yom Tov haircuts, the cooking, or even choosing the right gift for our hosts. Our tradition teaches that during these final days of Elul, the real preparation is inward: looking honestly at ourselves and asking, What can I change? Where can I grow?...

Week’s End Reflection: Ki Tavo and a New Song of Prayer In this week’s parashah, Ki Tavo, the Israelites are commanded to bring their bikkurim—their first fruits—to the Temple. With baskets in hand, they recite a declaration of gratitude: “Arami oved avi—My father was a wandering Aramean.” It is not just an offering of produce; it is an offering of story, memory, and voice....

“Dio Bendicho, Dio Bendicho.”This is what my beloved mentor, Floryz”l used to say to me when we settled in for a conversation about God. She described the adults in her Sephardic community pointing a finger at the children and shaking it while telling them that ‘Blessed God’ was going to get them if they didn’t behave. In this instance, God was a menacing character used as a warning...

Dear Friends, It is not only children who are going back to school on Tuesday—Beth Tzedec is unveiling a lineup of new learning opportunities. One of the six Beth Tzedec Values is learn. We are proud to offer opportunities for learners of all ages to deepen and grow their understanding of Jewish thought and traditions. Among many learning opportunities this year, I want to...

This Sunday and Monday is Rosh Chodesh Elul, the beginning of the final month on the Jewish calendar. Some years, Elul whispers, inviting us in with tenderness. Other years, it demands, like thunder, startling us awake from a deep slumber. Elul is the season of teshuvah (repentance), the foundational practice of the High Holy Day season, but not in the punitive sense many associate with the...

It has been a hot, dry summer so far. Water levels are low, lawns are brown and crispy. While we are fortunate to live in a place with plentiful access to water, we have all likely noticed that rain has been scarce these last six to eight weeks. In this week’s Torah portion, Eikev, we read the source text of the 2nd paragraph of the Shema prayer. God promises to grant rain in...

This past Shabbat, on the eve of Tisha B’Av, we read from Isaiah and Eicha and asked the aching question: Ayeka—where are we in this difficult moment? I turned my phone on after Shabbat to the horrific videos of Evyatar David brutally starved by Hamas, made to dig his own grave. The prophet Isaiah’s voice echoed even more powerfully: “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the...

One permanent fixture in the Jewish calendar is that Parashat Devarim is always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av. The most common reason for this occurrence is the linguistic connection with the book of Lamentations as the word “Eichah,” the title of the book, appears in Deuteronomy 1:12. Here, Moses rebukes the Israelites for their past transgressions. He reminds them of their...

My grandparents, Max and Ethel Rosenberg z”l, owned a company called Sable Bay Fur. My older cousins got to work in "the shop" when they were teenagers. I have fond memories of going down to “the shop” and sorting buttons. I can still remember what the factory behind the show room looked like. There were fur pelts everywhere. As a little girl, I was confused how the minks we would see...

This week’s parashah, Pinchas, contains a story that, at first glance, may seem like a legal footnote. But upon closer look, it reveals itself to be one of the most powerful stories of courage, justice, and the evolving nature of Torah. I, of course, am speaking of B’not Tzelophechad, the five daughters of Tzelophechad—Machlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.Their story begins...

This Shabbat, we read Parashat Balak, which contains one of the most beautiful and surprising blessings in the Torah. The prophet Balaam, hired to curse Israel, instead looks upon their encampment and declares: מַה־טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places,...

I dedicate this d'var Torah to the Little Minyan, which began 30 years ago, at the initiative of Eileen Silver and Ellen Kachuk Rosenbluth. As with the scouts exploring the Land of Israel, the Little Minyan was born as an act of exploration. עֲלוּ זֶה בַּנֶּגֶב, וַעֲלִיתֶם, אֶת-הָהָר יח וּרְאִיתֶם אֶת-הָאָרֶץGo up to see the...

It is summer and, therefore, wedding season here at Beth Tzedec. Chances are that if you can’t find your spiritual leaders, we are standing under a chuppah as two wonderful individuals become a family. One of the reasons people get married can be found in Bereishit, chapter two. In verse 18 God says לֹא־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדּ֑וֹ, it...

As I was looking at the story of Korach, it struck me that the one verb I would expect to see in this narrative does not appear at all: the Hebrew verb marad (to rebel). After all, we know this narrative as the rebellion of Korach. Nor does the noun Mered (rebel) appear in the story. The troublemakers “congregate” against Moses and Aaron, using the same verb and noun...

In this week’s parashah, Shelach Lecha, 12 scouts are sent to survey the Land of Israel. Ten return with a devastating report: “We looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we appeared to them” (Numbers 13:33). The tragedy of the meraglim was not that they reported giants in the land—it was that they let fear eclipse faith. They forgot who they were and who walked with them....

It might be coincidental, or perhaps it was designed on purpose by the ancient Rabbis. Regardless, this Shabbat we will read about the creation and kindling of the Menorah, the seven branched candelabra made of pure gold that brought light into the Mishkan (portable sanctuary) and later, the Temple in Jerusalem. It is also the time of year when we have the most daylight in the Northern...

Pride Month, sometimes called LGBTQ+ Pride Month, is a month dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer culture and community. (I use the terms Queer and Trans interchangeably with LGBTQ+). Pride Month is observed in June in many places across the world, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots,...

As a Bar and Bat Mitzvah tutor, I often find myself shepping nachas and living vicariously through the parents of the students I teach. People who have visited my office surely know about my extensive kippah collection that I have amassed from all the simchas over the years. For this significant milestone in a child’s Jewish life, I think that many B’nei Mitzvah teachers get a real sense...

This week, we hosted two major events at Beth Tzedec, bringing close to 4000 people through our doors. Israeli actor, musician and hero Idan Amedi shared his experiences of trauma and resilience and his deep faith in Judaism and the Israeli people, accompanied by his award-winning music. The following night, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg Polin spoke in our sanctuary as part of an event by...

Beth Tzedec Communications Manager Michael Goodbaum sat down with Rabbi Fryer Bodzin to ask her questions on her 20 years as a rabbi and her upcoming honorary doctorate. 20 years ago you were ordained as a rabbi. What does it mean for you to receive an honorary doctorate now from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies?It’s a privilege to be honoured for two decades of a meaningful,...

In Parashat Kedoshim, we are given one of the most sweeping and transformative commandments in the Torah: “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Vayikra 19:2). This is not a call to the priests alone, nor a mystical ideal for the spiritually elite. It is directed to the entire community—kol adat b’nei Yisrael—reminding us that holiness is not beyond reach but...

The double portion of Tazria and Metzora deals mostly with the identification of a scaly skin disease -- tzara’at -- and the purification rites to get rid of it. The Greek word λεπρός (leprós), means "scaly" or "rough," and derives from λεπός (lepós), meaning "peeled" or "fine.” The first Greek physician, Hippocrates, grouped together different skin diseases as...

One of my most unique Shabbat memories from childhood is the infamous “Shabbat of the Bat.” I’m not talking about the Shabbat I was called to the Torah to celebrate becoming an adult in the Jewish community, although that was a very special Shabbat, too. No, I’m talking about the Shabbat when there was a bat flying around the sanctuary during Friday night services. Yes, that kind of...

Shefoch Hamatcha el hagoyim asher lo yeda’ucha… Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that do not recognize You… These words are not gentle. They are a cry of pain and fury. Try teaching them to a room full of conversion candidates, or saying them in front of any non-Jewish guests you might have at the Seder. This section wasn’t part of the Rabbi’s original Seder, or...

This Shabbat before Passover is known as Shabbat HaGadol, the Great or Grand Shabbat. It is a partner to the Shabbat before Yom Kippur, Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return or Repentance. For both of these special Shabbatot, somewhat unexpectedly, we do not take out a second Torah scroll and read an additional portion. Instead, we rely on the words of the Prophets through the...

It is Nisan, the beginning of Aviv - Spring, and my birthday month. (I was born on the second night of Pesach). I feel the weight of winter slowly lifting and the buoyancy that comes with tulips peaking through the earth. Pesach is almost here, and I know this because my colleagues are sharing where there are good deals on matzah.Usually at this time of the year, I splurge and take my car to get...

The last parsha of the book of Exodus, Pekudei, describes the concluding stages of the construction of the portable sanctuary. In it, Moses gives a detailed accounting of the expenditures involved, all the proceeds and use of the contributions. The opening verse (Exodus 38:21), which outlines the parsha, deserves examination. אֵלֶּה...

The name and opening word of our parasha is vayakhel, meaning to gather. This moment in the Torah follows the sin of the Golden Calf and the resulting shame and punishment. God comes close to destroying the entire Jewish people before Moshe defends them and calms the divine wrath. Rashi points out that the word vayakhel is distinct from gathering things with our hands, but rather refers to...