Torah Readings for Shabbat Pesach

First Day Passover: Exodus 12:21 - 12:51 & Numbers 28:16 - 28:25
Second Day Passover: Leviticus 22:26 - 23:44 & Numbers 28:16 - 28:25

On the FIRST DAY OF PASSOVER we read from the book of Exodus (12:21-51) of the bringing of the Passover Offering in Egypt, the Plague of the Firstborn at the stroke of midnight, and how "On this very day, G-d took the Children of Israel out of Egypt."


The reading for the SECOND DAY OF PASSOVER, Leviticus 22:26-23:44, includes: a list of the moadim -- the "appointed times" on the Jewish calendar for festive celebration of our bond with G-d; the mitzvah to Count the Omer (the 49-day "countdown" to the festival of Shavuot which begins on the 2nd night of Passover); and the obligation to journey to the Holy Temple to "to see and be seen before the face of G-d" on the three annual pilgrimage festivals -- Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot.

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Shabbat HaGadol/The Great Sabbath; Tzav

Leviticus 6:1-8:36

By Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz | Director of Israel Programs, The Rabbinical School, JTS

The Fire Within

Parashat Tzav discusses the role of the priests in the Temple, and emphasizes the vigilance with which they were to offer sacrifices. As the parashah opens, Aaron and his sons are commanded to tend to the ritual of the burnt offering. “A perpetual fire will be kept burning on the altar, not to go out” (Lev. 6:6). On one level, those responsible kept the flames of the altar continually burning by adding wood every day, stoking the fire and keeping watch. The constant attention and dedication necessary for this daily task are impressive in themselves. But, what did this aish tamid (perpetual flame), symbolize? And how does this seemingly distant commandment inform our lives today as modern Jews?

In his commentary on the Torah entitled Ad Tumam (To the Very End), Professor Ze’ev Falk discusses the symbolism of this perpetual fire commanded by God. “The fire continually burning,” Falk writes, “expresses the presence of God’s Indwelling.” For it is not enough for the Israelites to offer sacrifices whose aim it is to bring them closer to God’s Presence. A visual symbol of God’s Presence must stand in their midst at all times. That symbol is the perpetual fire. Further, fire has both divine and human qualities: on the one hand, its mysteriousness and unpredictability make it very much representative of the divine; on the other hand, its fragility and ephemerality speak to humanness. It is truly a gift of God, maintained and strengthened by the hands of human beings. Torah, too, is a gift of God that requires human care to be perpetuated. “In the life of the individual Jew,” Falk writes, “the Torah expresses perpetuity: for in the Psalms it is written, ‘I will guard your Torah always’ (Psalms 119:44) and in Proverbs, ‘Guard the commandments of your fathers and do not abandon the Torah of your mothers; tie them to your heart always’ (Proverbs 6:21)” (Falk, 247). Passion for the teachings of the Torah ties us into an ancient history, a meaningful present, and a hopeful future.

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Shabbat HaHodesh; Vayikra

Leviticus 1:1−5:26; Maftir: Exodus 12:1-20

By Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz | Director of Israel Programs, The Rabbinical School, JTS

Finding The Universal In The Particular: An Unexpected Offering From Va-yikra

With the opening of the book of Leviticus and its keen focus on sacrifices this coming Shabbat, many laypeople and clergy alike begin an exegetical struggle for connection and relevance. Chancellor Arnold Eisen describes the annual crisis well, commenting that

Leviticus is not terribly popular among American Jews . . . Take on the task of assigning members of a prayer or study group to lead discussions on upcoming portions of Torah, and you will have no difficulty finding volunteers for most sections of Genesis or Exodus. Turn the pages of the calendar to the winter months, however, arrive at the blood and gore of sacrifice and the details upon details of purity and pollution, and you will find that interest in the weekly portion has withered. (Taking Hold of Torah, 71)

Though Eisen acknowledges this difficulty, he rightly encourages us to dig deeper in the text and in ourselves as “Leviticus aims to heighten and sanctify ordinary experience” (ibid., 71). Where may we find a vivid example in Parashat Va-yikra to “sanctify ordinary experience” in the modern world?

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Shabbat Parah; Vayak'heil/P'kudei

Exodus 35:1–40:38

By Dr. Benjamin Sommer, Professor of Bible, JTS

For more than a month during this time of year, we read about the mishkan, the Tabernacle, also called the ohel mo'ed, or Tent of Meeting. Parashiyot T'rumah and T'tzavveh, which we read the past two weeks, contain what amount to blueprints in prose format. These readings describe exactly how the Children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai should construct the mishkan. In the two parashiyot we will read a week from now, Va-yak•hel and P'kudei, we read almost the exact same material, this time phrased in the past tense rather than the imperative. We might describe Va-yak•hel and P'kudei as architectural implementation reports: they verify that all the instructions found in the blueprints have been fully and correctly carried out.

But in this week's parashah, Ki Tissa, this long section on the Tabernacle is interrupted. The mishkan seems to be forgotten as we read about the Golden Calf, a fight between supporters of Moses and opponents, discussions of whether God will accompany the Israelites through the desert, the revelation of God's attributes, and laws concerning worship and holidays. Tucked away in the middle of the parashah (in Exodus 33.7–11), however, is a brief description of an ohel mo'ed or "Tent of Meeting." This is one of the terms used to describe the Tabernacle in the other parashiyot in Exodus, but this Tent of Meeting differs greatly from the one we read about last week. Let me draw out some of the contrasts.

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Ki Tisa

Exodus 30:11-34:35

Tzedakah And Jewish Education

Our communal responsibility to ensure the immortality of the Jewish people depends on our commitment to supporting Jewish education.

By Rabbi Bradley Artson, provided by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, for MyJewishLearning.com

Jewish education forms the backbone of our communities.

 We assure the community of vitality and endurance through the Hebrew studies of our children, the outreach programs for those considering conversion, and the continuing education programs for other seeking adults. And those programs need our support.

Consider today's Torah portion. God instructs Moses to take a census of the Jewish People in order for each Jew to pay a half-shekel tax to maintain the central communal institution of Jewish learning--the Mishkan (Tabernacle).  The Mishkan, a Jewish school!?! Absolutely, since it was there that the entire Jewish community gathered to learn the word of God. And that first school was supported by all. The Torah records:

"Everyone who is entered in the records, from the age of twenty years up, shall give the Lord's offering: the rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than half a shekel when giving the Lord's offering..." (Exodus 30:14).

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