At the close of Sefer Bereishis (Genesis), Yaakov blesses all his sons. He specifically calls Shimon and Levi “brothers,” criticizing the seemingly negative character trait those two sons shared.

As we seem ready to enter Israel, a counting of the Jewish People takes place. Nachmanides offers several rationales for this census (Numbers 1:45). First, it expresses God’s mercy. When Jacob came to ...

This week’s parsha, Bamidbar is read prior to the Shavuot holiday. Rabbi Isaiah Halevy Horowitz, author of the Shnei Luhot Habrit, suggests that this Torah reading teaches us important lessons about ...

putting one slow foot in front of the other. Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 28 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at ...

The Generation of the Wilderness was unique in the history of Israel, as Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt”l, explains concerning the first verse of Bamidbar. Israel was slated for a special mission in the ...

Bamidbar should open with the stories of the desert, right? But instead, we are told of a census, the camp formation, and the Levites. Huh? Why is this the introduction to Bamidbar? In this week’s ...

Every year, we read a Torah portion called Bamidbar—in the desert—on the Shabbat before Shavuot. This portion describes the census of the Jews in the desert. Just as we count forty-nine days and then ...

Each week ‘In Song’ links the weekly Torah reading — however tenuously — to classic works of rock ‘n’ roll. This week’s parsha, Bamidbar (in the desert), kicks off the Book of Numbers, starting with a ...

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After weeks of dramatic episodes – Pinchas’s zeal, Bilaam’s curses, Balak’s schemes, and the plague at Peor – this week’s parsha offers a profound shift and in particular one moment I found very ...