[If you have followed this series on book III and IV of the Torah, chapter by chapter, you will have noticed that the format has turned into somewhat like the “notes of a student”.  In books I and II, our commentary were mostly ours, Sinaite perspective, with a sprinkling of interpretations we have learned from […]

[Since Caleb figures quite prominently in this episode of the Spies, please read this post: My servant Caleb – a different spirit.   It never ceases to inspire us:   the thought of Israelite Joshua and Kennezzite Caleb as the only two from among the generation that left Egypt who entered the Land along with the […]

This commentary is by Seymour Rossel from The Torah: Portion by Portion: Scouts or Spies? Throughout history, most armies have sent spies ahead of them.  Bur the people Moses sent were not normal spies; they were chieftains of the tribes.  Chieftains are not trained for secret work, nor would Moses send chieftains into danger.  The assignment was just to […]

[So far, we’ve seen some verrrrrry bad behavior among the Israelites.  The masses complain and grumble.  Now the siblings of Moses complain as well.   What is wrong with every one of these freed slaves who are enjoying YHWH’s grace and blessing in visible and experienceable ways? They should be simply praising YHWH! Aren’t they […]

[Those from third world countries view life in first world countries with envy, wishing they could experience convenience (never mind luxuries) that the ‘haves’ mostly take for granted . . . such as . . . water coming out of a faucet right in one’s home, cooking food without having to gather wood for a […]

“And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall sound with the trumpets and this shall be an ordinance forever, throughout your generations” – Numbers 10:8 [Here’s a thorough discussion of the 2 silver trumpets: The Two Silver Trumpets of the Levite Priests MusicoftheBible.com / www.musicofthebible.com/extra_trumpets.htm‎l Commentary from Pentateuch and Haftorahs, ed. Dr. J.H.Hertz, additional commentary by Seymour Rossel, The Torah Portion by Portion; translation […]

This explanation is from The Torah Portion by Portion by Seymour Rossel.  It discusses salient parts of this chapter:   Adonai spoke to Moses in the Sinai wildereness, on the first new moon of the second year after the Exodus from Egypt, saying:  Let the Israelite people offer the Passover sacrifice at its set time: you shall offer […]

[In featuring the 3rd and 4th book of the Torah, namely Vayiqrah and Bamidbar, you will notice that we have sought the interpretation and teachings from rabbinical writings.  As many resources as we could find to interpret specific details we hardly can relate to in this day and age, we have quoted word for word from […]

[‘The Priestly Blessing” . . . how many of us have not heard that in song, committed it to memory and recited it to one another at the end of our Sabbath worship.  “YHWH bless you and keep you; YHWH make His Face shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His […]

[To make their camp a worthy home of the Divine Presence (Shechinah), the Israelites were cautioned to free their camp of tumah, “ritual contamination” (Ramban).  What constitutes ‘uncleanness’ might be surprising since here, it seems to focus on physical or material impurities, those associated with disease, waste, death and the like. If we fail to […]