Shalom brethren! Be on the watch for events beginning in the month of August. For the days are not as they once were, and the rhythm of the times has shifted. The hourglass of the nations is being overturned, and the winds of change, long restrained by the sovereign hand of Mar-Yah, shall begin to […]
Commentary on Parashat Matot-Masei
Bamidbar (Numbers) 30:2–36:13; 28:9–15 Parashat Matot-Masei concludes the Book of Bamidbar with a strong theological, ethical, and eschatological resonance. Matot and Masei together form a double portion frequently read in tandem during the Shabbat prior to Tisha B’Av, the national day of mourning over the destruction of the Temple, evoking themes of covenantal responsibility, divine […]
Commentary on Haftarah Yirmeyahu 1:1–2:3
“Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) The Haftarah inaugurates the period of the Three Weeks—a time of mourning that culminates in Tisha B’Av, the commemoration of the destruction […]
Commentary on Parashat Balak
Numbers 22:2–25:9 Parashat Balak brings us to the account where Gentile kings and pagan prophets attempt to manipulate divine reality, only to discover the unassailable sovereignty of Mar-Yah, the Most High. Situated on the cusp of Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land, this section of Bamidbar unfolds an encounter between Balak, king of Moab, and […]
Commentary on Parashat Chukat
Bamidbar (Numbers) 19:1–22:1 The parashah opens with the phrase “זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה” — “This is the statute of the Torah…” (Numbers 19:2). The Hebrew word chok implies an edict or ordinance whose reason is not revealed. In contrast to mishpatim (judgments) that appeal to reason, chukkim are decrees given purely by the authority of Mar-Yah […]
Commentary on Parashat Korach
Numbers 16:1-18:32 Parashat Korach is one of the most arresting narratives within the wilderness journey of the children of Israel, for it lays bare the anatomy of rebellion—not merely political dissent, but spiritual insubordination. It exposes the dangers of ungrounded egalitarianism divorced from divine order and vocation. It also affirms Mar-Yah’s sanctification of priesthood, and […]
Commentary on Parashat Sh’lach
Numbers 13:1-15:41 “Send for yourself men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel.” (Numbers 13:2) Parashat Sh’lach (“send for yourself”) provides for us one of the most poignant and tragic narratives in the Aurayta (Torah) – the sending of the twelve spies into the Land of […]
Commentary on Parashat Beha’alotcha
Numbers 8:1-12:16 Parashat Beha’alotcha contains various narratives and mitzvoth, themes of consecration, purification, divine order, human frailty, and the enduring mercy of Mar-Yah. The Parashah begins with the kindling of the menorah, symbolic of divine illumination and the sanctification of the inner life, and concludes with the prophetic emergence of seventy elders, a mirror of […]
Commentary on Parashat Nasso
Parashat Nasso (consisting of Numbers 4:21–7:49) is rich in detail, scope, and theological significance. The portion continues the themes inaugurated in Bamidbar, refining the organisation of the wilderness camp and emphasising the sanctity, purity, and devotion required for Israel’s journey toward the Promised Land. Parashat Nasso interweaves laws concerning Levitical responsibilities, communal purity, marital fidelity, […]
Commentary on Parashat Bamidbar
Parashat Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1–4:20) inaugurates Sefer Bamidbar—literally, “In the Wilderness”—known in English as the Book of Numbers. Yet the Hebrew title is more than a geographical note; it is a spiritual metaphor. The wilderness (midbar) is the theatre of divine pedagogy, covenantal testing, and the shaping of identity. It is here, in the crucible of […]