Last week’s portion (yes I’m a few days behind!) was Ki Tavo. There is a verse at the top of the portion that says accursed is anyone who does not uphold this Torah. Now this sounds like it could be bad news for you and I who are not perfect. Are we accursed because we…

This week’s Torah portion, Re’eh has in it the kosher laws. Although we have spoken of it before, I remind you that the kosher laws were not meant for health but because they cause you to eat differently, to make different choices about eating than any other nation on earth. God’s purpose was not necessarily…

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…

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,…

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…

  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…