Devorah Landau's Page

This week’s parasha is the longest in Torah. Its length is due to an account of each of the twelve tribal chieftains bringing their offerings to dedicate the Mishkan (Holy Tabernacle). While each chieftain gives exactly the same gift of 35 items, Torah repeats each chieftain’s identical offering. “The one who offered his offering on the first day was Nachshon the son of Aminadav, of the tribe of Yehudah. And his offering was one silver dish weighing 130 shekels, one silver bowl of…

This week’s parasha opens the fourth book of Torah, Bamidbar (in the wilderness). Its English name is Numbers, relating to G-d’s request to conduct a census before He gives the Jewish people the Torah. In the third chapter, the Levites are counted: “These are the descendants of Moshe and Aharon… Nadav and Avihu died before the L-rd when they brought alien fire before the L-rd in the Sinai Desert, and they had no children.”

Why does Torah emphasize that Nadav and Avihu died…

This week’s double parasha begins with the mitzvah of shemitah (sabbatical year), the commandment to leave fields fallow for an entire year, every seven years. This is a tremendous test of the farmer’s faith in G-d that there will be enough food to sustain him and his family during the seventh and eighth years of the agricultural cycle.

Torah interrupts its discussion of shemitah to introduce the prohibition of onaah, wrongdoing. “When you sell to your fellow…

This week’s parasha begins: “And the L-rd said to Moshe: Speak (emor) to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon , and say to them (v’amarta)…”

Many times when G-d tells Moshe to speak, Torah uses the Hebrew verb daber. Why does this verse twice use forms of the Hebrew verb omer?

Rashi writes: “[This double use comes] to warn (l’hazhir) the adults concerning the children.” At the literal level, the verse points to the responsibility of the adult…