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Posts Tagged ‘torah portion summary’
Ki Tetze Torah Portion Summary
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Vayakhel Torah Portion Summary
Sunday, March 7th, 2010Moses gathered the Israelites and told them of God’s commandment to build a tabernacle.
He told them that they may work for six days each week, but if anyone worked on the seventh day, it was punishable by death.
He then asked them to bring gifts such as gold, silver, wool, linen, wood, oil, spices and stone to adorn the new sanctuary that they would build for the Lord.
He requested that skilled craftsman assist in building the tabernacle and its surrounding structure, as well as create lamp stands, oils and garments for the High Priest, Aaron.
The Israelites, moved by Moses’ words, brought back so many treasures that Moses eventually had to ask them not to bring any more.
Bezalel and Oholiab were assigned the job of building the Ark and other items within the tabernacle.
They made the Ark of acacia wood, with gold overlays and golden cherubim above it.
They made a table of acacia wood, and utensils such as bowls, ladles, jugs and jars out of pure gold.
Bezalel also made lamps of pure gold, poles and altars of acacia wood, and utensils for the altar out of copper.
He then made an enclosure for the tent with special wall hangings, fine linens and coppy posts.
Ki Tissa Torah Portion Summary
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010Read the 10-line torah portion summary soon.
Terumah Torah Portion Summary
Sunday, February 14th, 2010God told Moses to go to the mountain to receive the 10 commandments.
When Moses went up the mountain, a cloud encompassed the mountain, completely hiding it from site.
Moses remained on the mountain for 40 days and nights.
God told Moses that he should fashion a sanctuary for God’s presence.
The sanctuary was to be a place for the Israelites to bring any gifts for God that felt were appropriate.
God then instructed that the sanctuary should be made of acacia wood and oil and spices for annointing.
God’s instructions were exact, from the dimensions of the structure to the gold that was to cover the Tabernacle.
Moses was told that he was to create two gold Cherubim to adorn the cover of the ark.
The testimonies that Moses was to take from God would be put in the ark after each specified time in which God would meet with Moses at the ark to give them.
Finally, God told moses to construct a table, 7-branched menorah and put curtains around the Tabernacle.
Yitro Torah Portion Summary
Monday, February 1st, 2010Moses’ Father-in-law heard what God did for the Israelites and was in awe of such a powerful Lord.
He and observed Moses settling disputes among the people of Israel and urged Moses to appoint chiefs to govern the people.
Moses explains to the people of Israel that God will make of them a great nation if they commit to following His commandments.
When the people agreed, Moses left for three days and informed them that when he returned from his trek up the mountain, they should be clean and pure.
On the third day, Moses returned and amid smoke and the blasts of shofars, he brought to people of Israel to the foot of the mountain to hear Gods Commandments.
The first commandment stated that there was no other God beside the one, true God, and no one should observe or bow down to idols.
They were told that they should not take the Lord’s name in vein, and that on the seventh day, they and their cattle should rest.
The commandments also instructed them not to commit adultery, murder or commit sexual impropriety.
They were not to steal, bare false witness, or covet their neighbor’s house, wife or belongings.
Upon witnessing this great spectacle, the people of Israel fell back in fear of God, and asked that Moses speak to them on God’s behalf.
Beshalah Torah Portion Summary
Sunday, January 24th, 2010God led the people of Israel on an indirect route from Egypt, with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night.
After telling Moses to camp by the Red Sea, he planned to have Pharaoh attacked the people of Israel, so that God could save the Jews as the last minute, thus proving his power to them.
As Pharaoh and his army approached, Moses raised his hand and the sea parted for the Israelites to cross.
The Jews crossed safely, but as the Egyptians came after them, the waters crashed down upon them, destroying them all, prompting the Jews to sing and dance.
As the Jews wandered through the desert, they began to question God, for they had trouble finding food and water.
God produced a flaky substance that they called manna, and were instructed to collect a single days-worth of food six days a week, and twice as much on Fridays, so that on Shabbat they could rest.
Some people refused to follow God’s instructions, collecting too much on weekdays, and not enough for Shabbat.
God then told Moses to hit a rock to produce water for the people of Israel, who were constantly questioning Gods authority and commandments.
While in Horeb, the people of Amalek attacked the Jews, and God once again demonstrated his power by enabling the Jews to continue to win as long as Moses held his arms in the air.
Joseph led his people to victory over Amalek as Moses, with the help of Aaron and Hur, held his arms above his head.
Bo Torah Portion Summary
Sunday, January 17th, 2010Moses and Aaron warned Pharaoh about the impending Locust plague, but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened as he would not let the Israelites leave.
Pharaoh offered to let the Israelites leave if they left their animals behind following the plague of three days of darkness, but Moses rejected this offer.
Pharaoh told Moses that if he returned to speak with Pharaoh, he would be killed.
God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and smear its blood on their doorposts to avoid the final plague — death of the first born.
The Israelites were instructed to then eat the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs in what became the first Korban Pesach.
That night, the first born Egyptians were killed, causing Pharaoh to finally allow Moses and the Jews to hurriedly leave Egypt.
Prior to leaving, the Jews were instructed to ask the Egyptians for all of their gold and silver, leaving their nation without any wealth.
The Israelites left in such a hurry, that their bread did night have time to rise.
The Jews were then instructed to observe the anniversary of the Exodus by eating unleavened bread for seven days and telling the story of the Exodus.
Additionally, God commanded the Jews to wear tefillin as a reminder of the Exodus.
Vaera Torah Portion Summary
Sunday, January 10th, 2010God instructed Moses and his brother Aaron to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.
In order to do so, God first had Moses and Aaron demonstrate God’s power by turning a staff into a snake.
Pharaoh instructed his magicians to do the same, and was thus unimpressed, even when Aaron’s snake ate theirs.
Moses then dipped his staff into the Nile, turning all of the water into blood.
Pharaoh dismissed this aswell, since his magicians were able to do the same.
Since Pharaoh’s heart was stiffened, God then brought frogs upon the land, and then vermin and insects.
With each plague, Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites leave.
However, once the plague was lifted, his heart was hardened.
The Lord then struck all Egyptian livestock with disease, gave boils to all Egyptian people and caused deadly hail to fall upon them aswell.
Pharaoh was impressed with each of these acts, since his magicians were unable to reproduce them, but he remained stubborn and would not let the Israelites go.
Shemot Torah Portion Summary
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010Jacobs sons were fruitful in Egypt, and fearing this rapidly-growing tribe, the Pharaoh levied a tax on them and then decided to make them slaves.
Later, the Pharaoh decided to kill all Israelite sons, but Shifrah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives, sided with God rather than Pharaoh and helped to hide one baby boy for three months, until his mother finally had to get rid of him, which she did by placing him in a basket and floating it down the river.
The Pharaoh’s daughter found the basket and the child, named him Moses, and cared for him.
When Moses was older, he assaulted an Egyptian for beating an Israelite slave, and then fled from Egypt when he found out that others had witnessed it.
Moses went on to marry Tzipporah and have a son, Gershom, and while tending sheep for his father-in-law, he saw a bush that was burning but was not consumed by the fire.
Moses heard the voice of God in this bush, and was told to go to Egypt and free the Israelite slaves and take them to a land flowing with milk and honey.
Moses questioned why he was selected, citing his speech problems, and saying that the Israelites and the Pharaoh would not listen to him.
God told him to take his brother, Aaron, to speak for him, and demonstrated some of the miracles that Moses would perform to show God’s power.
Finally, Moses agreed to go, and after confronting Pharaoh for the first time, asking him for a few days off for the Israelites to pray, Pharaoh punished the Israelites for being lazy, by no longer providing them with straw for the bricks they were making.
With the people of Israel angry at Moses, God told him that he would do things to Pharaoh that would not only encourage him to let the slaves go, but would cause him to drive them out of his land.
Vayetze Torah Portion Summary
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009After leaving his father’s home, on his way to Laban’s house, Jacob had a dream in which angels were ascending and descending a ladder reaching from the earth to the heavens.
In this dream, God stood behind Jacob and told him that God will protect him and bless him and his descendants.
The next morning, Jacob continued his journey and came to a well with a large stone covering it, which Laban’s daughter, Rachel, was to bring her sheep to drink from.
When Jacob saw Rachel, he told her that he was her kinsman, and was able to move the stone from the well, allowing her sheep to drink, for which Rachel was very thankful.
Jacob stayed at Laban’s home and worked for seven years in exchange for Laban’s promise that Jacob could marry Rachel at the end of that time.
The wedding day came and passed, and the next morning, Jacob awoke to find that he had married Rachel’s older sister, Leah, and had been tricked by Laban who would not let his younger daughter marry before his older daughter.
Jacob then worked another seven years before being able to marry Rachel,
Over time, Jacob had twelve sons – Reuben, Shimeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Yissakhar, Zebulun and Joseph, and a daughter, Dinah.
Jacob then told Laban that he wanted to leave, and took his wives and children in the middle of the night, later telling Laban that he snuck away because he was worried that Laban would take his daughters back by force.
Eventually, Laban blessed them and sent them on their way.
