Posts by Pastor Matt McKeown
Journeys
This week we have a double portion, Matot-Massei. These portions speak of the journeys of the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. Why is the word journeys plural here in the Torah? The answer is about the 42 encampments that were part of the journey from Egypt to the promised land. These were places…
Read MoreThe Scarlet Pagans?
So I am going to take you back a few chapters before getting to this week’s portion, Pinchas. In Numbers 15 we were given the commandment of tzitzit, the wearing of tasseled or fringed garments. The sages say that the reason the men of Israel were given this commandment was because, as translated into English,…
Read MoreThe Missing Letter
This week’s Torah portion is Shelach. But before we delve into that I would like to thank everyone for the positive response we have had to Kosher Pastor. We have had dozens of people signing up for the program from so many different nations, all over the world. It really seems that in these recent…
Read MoreSins of The World
The sin of the worship of the golden calf is central to Jewish history and the impact of that sin on the history of the Jewish people cannot be overstated. To begin with, the only reason that the descendants of Levi, the Levites, are included in the priestly class is because of the golden…
Read MoreLighting The Way
This week’s portion is Naso, but I want to address more specifically what is happening around the world and inn our country right now. Our sages say that when Aaron was growing up his job was lighting the menorah. When he went to do it, it was prepared for him, it was filled with oil…
Read MoreYou Are Counted
This weeks’s portion is Bamidbar and it is the first portion in our new book of Numbers. It does not, however, mean numbers. It actually means “in the wilderness”. In this book the children of Israel are, indeed, in the wilderness. The English name, Numbers, is significant because in the first few verses of this…
Read MoreAnd It Shall Be Done
This week, another double portion – Behar and Bechukotai. I am going to focus on the latter which literally means “by my decree”. There are three types of commandments that we encounter in the bible. Mishpat (plural mishpatim), chok (plural chukim) and eid (plural eidot). The eid are testimonials or “witnessing” given to the Jewish…
Read MoreOn The Other Hand
Again we have a double portion, Achrei Mot and Kedoshim. Today I am focused on Achrei Mot – the scapegoat. The portion tells us there are two goats. One is for sacrifice. The other, all the sins of Israel are place upon its head and it is driven from the camp and thrown off a…
Read MoreSpeak No Evil
This week we have two portions – Tazria and Metzora – often referred to together. And this blog will be pulling commentary or interpretation from many sources. The Talmud asks why those affected with biblical leprosy or tzara at are called metzora. The word metzora comes from two words, motzi meaning to bring forth and ra meaning evil. So…
Read MoreCrazy Eights
This week’s portion is Shemini, which means “eighth” – literally it was the “eighth day of assembly”. This portion is about the numbers. there are a couple of strands here. First, there are prescriptions for the number of sacrifices that Aaron (the High Priest) will make and how many will be made for the people…
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