You shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy. (Leviticus 19:2) Throughout Leviticus, God commands Moses to teach the Children of Israel, or to instruct them in various commandments and rules of behavior. With this scripture, God introduces a few laws pertaining...

The following is a taste of our Israel Bible Reading Plan. Follow the weekly portion with summaries, insights and lively conversation. To register, click here. This portion begins with an exhortation to “be holy”. The subsequent verses outline how to achieve that...

Chapter 18 of Leviticus is seemingly a list of dos and don'ts, not unlike many of the rules of purity and impurity listed throughout Leviticus. But at closer examination, there is something different about the instructions listed here. The chapter begins with the...

The following is a taste of our Israel Bible Reading Plan. Follow the weekly portion with summaries, insights and lively conversation. To register, click here. Our portion begins with the Yom Kippur service. God tells Moses to relate to Aaron and his surviving sons...

This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest. (Leviticus 14:2) So begins a detailed description of the rituals involved with purifying someone who has been afflicted with Biblical Leprosy. The original...

The following is a taste of our Israel Bible Reading Plan. Follow the weekly portion with summaries, insights and lively conversation. To register, click here. While tzaraat can affect people and garments even in the desert, the Torah tells us when the people arrive...

This week's portion continues the discussion of ritual purity. In last week's portion, the instructions regarding purity revolved around various animals that are considered pure or impure. Those animals which are impure may never be eaten nor used for sacrifice. In...

The following is a taste of our Israel Bible Reading Plan. Follow the weekly portion with summaries, insights and lively conversation. To register, click here. The Torah tackles the topic of tzaraat, a spiritual affliction typically translated as leprosy. It lists...

This week’s portion contains one of the basic fundamentals of kosher eating – the list of animals that are permitted as well as a list of animals that are not.  Chapter 11 begins: Speak to the people of Israel, saying, these are the living things that you may eat...

Chapter 8 in Leviticus discusses the anointing of Aaron and his sons as priests in the Tabernacle and the anointing of the Tabernacle itself. The process is very detailed. The first step is the washing of both Aaron and his sons. Then Moses dresses Aaron. Then Moses...