Parashas

PARASHA
READINGS

PDFs and Audio Recordings of Weekly Parasha Readings

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 1. B'reyshiyth:
Genesis 1:1 - 6:8

God creates the heavens and the earth and everything in them, including humankind. Unfortunately, first Eve then Adam succumb to  Nachash, snake, in order to become like gods and know good and evil. After eating from the forbidden fruit, the first evil they do is try to hide from God and then blame anyone but themselves for their bad behavior. Thus begins the saga of misery and disconnect from God that defines the whole Bible story from now on. In Chapter 5 verse 22 we get a glimmer of hope for humankind when Enoch 'walked with God.' His seed goes on to produce No'ach, who 'found grace in the eyes of God.'
Download PDF of B'reyshiyth
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2. No'ach:
Genesis 6:9 - 11:32

'No'ach was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted; No'ach walked with God.'  Unfortunately, by the time No'ach came along, the earth was filled with chamas, or social violence among humans. One can only imagine the mosh pit of humans of all stripes and animals of all stripes doing the unimaginable with each other. Thus came the mabule, the deluge, and all but 8 humans and two pairs of each 'unclean' animal and 7 pairs of 'clean' animals survived. No'ach did all that God commanded him, and God allowed humankind to remain on earth. God blessed No'ach and established His covenant with No'ach, and gave humankind the rainbow to remind us He will never destroy beings of flesh again. At the end of the parasha we are introduced to Abram and his wife, Sarai.
Download PDF of No'ach
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3. Lech L'cha:
Genesis 12:1 - 17:27

While still Abram, God sets the stage for Abraham to become His great nation. First, God tells Abram to leave his father's house and his relatives to go to the land God will show him, Canaan. Next, famine hits Canaan, so Abram goes to Egypt. In Egypt, Pharaoh covets Sarai, Abram's beautiful wife. Sarai agrees to say she's Abram's sister (they share the same father) in order to save Abram's life. When he returns to Canaan, he and his nephew, Lot, have too much livestock to coexist, so Abram lets Lot choose where he will settle. Lot chooses the then-fertile plain of Sodom. Abram goes the other way. A while after this an assortment of Canaanite kings square off to fight one another. In the fray Lot is captured. Abram rescues him and many other people, and then refuses to give the people to the King of Sodom as slaves. After these events, God sees that Abram is worthy of His nation. God makes a covenant with Abram and promises him the land of Canaan, as well as a son through Sarai. God then changes their names to Abraham and Sarah, and Abraham completes God's covenant with circumcision. 
Download PDF of Lech Lecha
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4. Va'yeyrah:
Genesis 18:1 - 22:24

God appears to Abraham in the plains of Mamre, as One of three men. Abraham is a kind and gracious host. God repeats His promise to give Abraham a son through Sarah. After this, God lets Abraham know that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah are great, and He might need to destroy them if this is true. Abraham then protests and argues with God that He should not destroy them if there are 50, then 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, then 10 righteous people in the towns. With each diminishing number, God reassures Abraham He will not destroy the towns if He finds these righteous people, even if it is just 10. Unfortunately, only Lot, an outsider, is the only decent person in town, but even he is tainted, as he offers his 2 virgin daughters to the hordes who want to 'know' the two angels. After this, Sarah conceives and bears Isaac. When Isaac grows up, God tests Abraham, and tells him to bind Isaac and sacrifice him. Abraham remains dedicated to and trusts God. Sure enough, God stops Abraham from sacrificing his son at the last minute, and Isaac lives to become the next patriarch. 
Download PDF of Vayeyra
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5. Chayey Sarah:
Genesis 23:1 - 25:18

The name of this parasha means 'lives of Sarah.' Sarah lived 127 years and died in Hebron. Abraham eulogized her, and then purchased a burial site for her from Ephron the Hittite. Through careful diplomacy he buys the Cave of Machpelah, where all the patriarchs and matriarchs except Rachel will eventually be buried. After this, when Abraham is old, he sends his servant out of Canaan to the land of Abraham's relatives, to find a wife for Isaac. The servant, who is deeply connected to God, finds Rebecca, the daughter of Abraham's brother, Nahor, and the sister of Laban. Rebecca is a kind and gracious hostess who welcomes the servant, and gives him as well as his caravan of camels enough water to quench their thirst. This is remarkable, as each camel can drink up to 30 gallons of water in one sitting! Rebecca's family gives her the choice to go with the servant. She goes with him willingly, meets Isaac, and marries him. After this, Abraham marries a woman named Keturah, and has six more sons. Only Isaac inherits from Abraham, and the other sons are given gifts. Abraham dies at age 175 and is gathered to his people. Afterwards, Ishmael dies at age 137, and is gathered to his people.
Download PDF of Chayey Sarah
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6. Tholdoth:
Genesis 25:19 - 28:9

'Tholdot' means 'offspring,' and this parasha is all about Isaac's sons Jacob and Esau. Isaac and Rebecca married when Isaac was forty. Twenty years go by and still no children, so Isaac entreats God on behalf of Rebecca. God allows Rebecca to conceive. We find out that she has 'sons' agitating within her, which Rebecca obviously feels, because she says, 'If so, why am I thus?!' and then inquires of God. God tells her that she has two nations and two regimes in her womb, and that the elder will serve the younger. Rebecca takes this to heart, and when the boys are born she begins to groom Jacob for his destiny. Esau loves to hunt and is his father's favorite; Jacob sits in tents, is 'whole,' and is his mother's favorite. First Esau, in a moment of passionate hunger, sells his firstborn birthright, or right of inheritance, to Jacob for bread and a bowl of lentil stew. Then Rebecca schemes, with Jacob's acquiescence, to get Isaac to give Jacob the fatherly blessing. After all this, Esau is furious and swears to murder Jacob after his father's days of mourning are over. Rebecca has Jacob flee to her brother Laban's home, where the next parasha is a relatively happy one for Jacob.
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7. Va'yeytzey:
Genesis 28:10 - 32:3

After Jacob flees from his murderous brother in Be'er Sheva, he goes towards Charan, today in southeastern Turkey. He overnights en route, and sees in a dream a ladder set earthward and heavenward. Going up and down the ladder he sees God's angels. And God is standing over him! God tells Jacob that He will give him and his offspring the ground upon which he is lying, and He will not forsake him. After this Jacob continues on to Charan where he meets his mother's brother, Laban, as well as the love of his life, Rachel. Laban makes sure his oldest daughter, Leah, is not forgotten, and cleverly includes her in the deal, along with his maidservants Bilhah and Zilpah. All four women birth at least two sons (Leah births six sons and one daughter), and Jacob's legacy is begun. After working for Laban twenty years, Jacob senses Laban is no longer as friendly as he used to be. After some shenanigans with sheep and goat mating, and during sheep shearing time, Jacob escapes with his wives, children and flocks and flees back towards his father, Isaac, in Canaan. God remains with him, and Jacob 'cordially' parts ways with Laban.
Download PDF of Vayeytzey
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8. Va'yishlach:
Genesis 32:4 - 36:43

Back in Canaan, Jacob now needs to face his brother, Esau. Even though it's been twenty years, Jacob is very fearful that Esau still harbors murderous thoughts about him. Jacob implores God to rescue him from his brother's wrath. The night before Jacob meets up with Esau, he gets into an all-night wrestling match with an iysh, or man. At the break of dawn, the iysh realizes he cannot win, and strikes Jacob on the hip, dislocating it. He changes Jacob's name to Israel, which means 'he who strives with gods and people and overcomes,' and blesses him. After this event, Jacob and Esau reconcile and go their separate ways. Jacob then settles in the town of Shechem, where Dina wanders out to see the daughters of the land and is violated and taken by Shechem. Dina's brothers get outraged, and with cleverness get the Shechemites to agree to be circumcised, who agree only when they are told that now they can take over Israel's other daughters and possessions. Three days after the deed is done, Dina's brothers Shimon and Levi kill all the men and take their sister Dina out of Shechem. God speaks to Jacob, now Israel, and repeats His covenant with him. Israel wanders to Bethlehem, where Rachel gives birth to Benjamin, but dies in childbirth. After the trauma of Rachel's death, Israel's oldest son, Reuben, violates Israel's wife and Rachel's maidservant, Bilhah.
Download PDF of Vayish'lach
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9. Va'yeyshev:
Genesis 37:1 - 40:23

This parasha begins the story of Joseph. Joseph was Israel's eleventh son, and his favorite, as he was 'a child of his old age' and the son of Israel's favorite wife, Rachel. Israel was overt in his love for Joseph, much to the dismay of his other sons. Because their father loved Joseph the most, the brothers hated Joseph and 'they could not speak to him peaceably.' So when Joseph dreamed two self-aggrandizing dreams, and boasted about them to his family, his brothers 'hated him even more.' Even Israel was annoyed at Joseph, and scolded him for implying that his father and mother as well as his brothers were supposed to bow down to him. When Israel sent Joseph to check on his brothers where they were shepherding, they plotted to kill him, along with his dreams. Reuben and Judah talked the other brothers out of killing him, and instead they stripped him of his fancy tunic and threw him into a pit. Midianite traders fished him out and sold him to Ishmaelites, who brought him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, Paraoh's Chamberlain of the Butchers. Potiphar's wife tries unsuccessfully to seduce him but he gets thrown in prison anyway. Then Joseph, through God, accurately interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's Chamberlains, interpreting life for one and death for the other. He was promptly forgotten. 
Download PDF of Vayeyshev
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10. Miy'qetz:
Genesis 41:1 - 44:17

Two years after the previous parasha, Pharaoh has dreams that none of his wise men or necromancers could interpret: seven beautiful and robust cattle emerge from the river, followed by seven bad and gaunt ones who consume the beautiful and robust ones; and seven healthy and good sheaves of grain sprout from one stalk, followed by seven thin and wind-scorched sheaves which then swallow the seven healthy sheaves. The Chamberlain whose dream Joseph accurately interpreted suddenly remembered the 'Hebrew youth, slave of the Chamberlain of the Butchers.' Pharaoh sends for him. Again, Joseph explains that it is God who interprets dreams. He says to Pharaoh, 'The dream of Pharaoh is a single, one; what God is about to do, He has told to Pharaoh.' He then relates that the dreams mean there will be seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh then realizes that the spirit of God is in Joseph, appoints him as his viceroy, and gives him an Egyptian wife. Joseph's wife bears two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Back in Canaan, once the famine begins, Jacob 'perceived that there were provisions in Egypt.' He sends the ten older boys to buy grain from Egypt but keeps Benjamin with him 'lest disaster befall him.' Joseph's brothers all bow down to Joseph, 'faces to the ground.' Joseph recognizes them but they don't recognize him, as he is shaved like all upper level Egyptians. He tests them to see if they have changed for the better in the intervening years.
Download PDF of Miqeytz
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11. Va'yigash:
Genesis 44:18 - 47:27

Joseph continues to test his brothers, and finds that they are truly contrite, as they argue among themselves about their past indiscretions. Joseph weeps when he reveals his identity to them, and reassures them that 'it was to be a provider that God sent me ahead of you....to insure your survival in the land and to sustain you for a momentous deliverance.' The brothers return to Canaan to tell their father that Joseph is still alive, and to bring him to Egypt. Israel goes first to Be'er-sheva where God appears to him. God reassures Israel that He will descend with him to Egypt, and also bring him up. All the souls, sons and daughters, that descended from Israel and went to Egypt numbered seventy. After settling his family in Goshen, Joseph begins to feed Egypt and Canaan during the years of famine. First he gathers all the money in exchange for provisions, and brings it into Pharaoh's palace. Once the money is exhausted the Egyptians come to Joseph saying 'Give us bread, why should we die in your presence?' Joseph then gathers all the livestock in exchange for provisions. When the livestock is exhausted, the people come back and offer their land, and then their bodies as slaves to Pharaoh in exchange for food. Only the priests of Egypt keep their land as decreed by Pharaoh. Thus Joseph saved the people from starvation.
Download PDF of Vayigash
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12. Va'yechiy:
Genesis 47:28 - 50:26

Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years. When he felt it was his time to die he called Joseph to swear that he would bury him in the the tomb of his fathers in Canaan, with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Leah. After this, he blessed Joseph's sons saying, 'By you shall Israel bless saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh,'' and he put the younger before the older. He told Joseph that God will be with them to bring them to the land of their fathers. He then called for all his sons to assemble, where he chronicles their cumulative behavior. Reuben is Israel's firstborn, but he forfeited it when he laid with Bilhah, Israel's wife and Rachel's maidservant, after Rachel died. Shimon and Levi blew it when they killed all the males of Shechem after insisting they circumcise themselves, in order to rescue their sister Dinah and retaliate for violating her. Judah is a lion's cub, and marked for the kingship: 'the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a scholar from among his descendants.' Zebulun shall settle by seashores. Issachar is a 'strong-boned donkey' who loves peace and tranquility. Dan will be a judge to his people, and a serpent who bites its heels. Gad will recruit a regiment. Asher will provide kingly delicacies. Naphtali is a deer and sayer of beautiful sayings. Joseph is the most blessed of the siblings, by God and by Jacob. Benjamin is a predatory wolf.
Download PDF of Vay'chiy
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13. Sh'moth:
Exodus 1:1 - 6:1

Seventy souls emerged from Jacob and came to Egypt during the famine. The children of Israel multiplied greatly. Then a new king arose over Egypt who did not know of Joseph. He enslaved them, embittering them with crushing harshness. He had their newborn boys killed. A boy was born to a Levite couple. After three months the mother made a little ark and floated him down the river, accompanied by his older sister, Miriam, where the daughter of Pharaoh found him. He was obviously a Hebrew boy. She took him as her own son, had his mother nurse him, and named him Moses. When Moses grew up he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew slave, and killed him. The next day he saw the same Hebrew slave striking his fellow and reprimanded him. The slave then outed Moses and Pharaoh sought to kill him. Moses fled to Midian where he helped the daughters of Reuel water their sheep. Moses married Tziporah, had two sons, and became a shepherd. One day a messenger of God appeared in a bush that was burning but was not consumed. God saw that Moses turned aside to see, and then God called his name. Thus began God's dialogue with Moses and ultimately the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.
Download PDF of Shemoth
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14. Va'eyrah:
Exodus 6:2 - 9:35

In this parasha, God begins His great redemption of His people, Israel, to take them out of slavery in Egypt and into freedom to Canaan. God begins by telling Moses His Name, YHVH, which He did not reveal to the Israelites until this moment. God then tells Moses to speak to Pharaoh, as He has made Moses master over Pharaoh. God then solidifies Pharaoh's heart and begins to multiply His signs and wonders for His great miracle. This parasha includes Aaron's staff turning into a snake and consuming the staffs of the necromancers of Egypt, the waters of Egypt turning into blood, the plague of frogs, lice, swarm of wild beasts, livestock disease (sparing the livestock of the Israelites), boils, and flaming hail.
Download PDF of Vaeyra
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15. Bo:
Exodus10:1 - 13:16

The name of this parasha, Bo, means 'come.' In it God conveys to Moses to 'come' to Pharaoh, as if Moses is being pulled by Pharaoh to approach him. God relates the purpose of His deeds, so that for all generations to come we can look back on what happened to Pharaoh and tell ourselves and the next generation that it was God Who takes the oppressed out of the black hole of oppression, with strength and miracles only a real God can perform. At this point Pharaoh's servants are beginning to see the light of God, as they admit that Egypt is lost because of the God of the Israelites. They are encouraged by God through Moses to join the Israelites in listening to God's warnings. In fact, the ones who listen are the 'mixed multitude' who join the Israelites in the Exodus. It is sobering to realize that God really wants all of humanity to join Him in leaving bad places. Possibly most Jews today, if they are not converts from other races, are genetically Egyptians in addition to being genetic Israelites. After the plagues of locusts, darkness and death of the firstborn, this parasha finishes with God's requirement to sanctify all males to Him, animals with death and humans with circumcision.
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16. B'shalach:
Exodus13:17 - 17:16

God begins to guide the fugitives from Egypt, about 3 million strong (based on the head-count of 600,000 men age 20 and up, who were able to join the standing army). God accompanied the Israelites by means of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. In this way God leads them towards the promised land of Canaan, albeit with plenty of delays, stubbornness and downright opposition from the people. When Pharaoh has a change of heart  and pursues the fugitives with horses and charioteers, Moses has to reassure the frightened people that YHVH Himself is guiding and leading them out of harm's way. Sure enough, when the people's flight is stopped at the sea of reeds, God causes an astonishing wind to blow a path dry for them to walk on, then returns the waters just as Pharaoh and Co. attempt to cross over. At this point the people revere and have faith in YHVH, and in Moses, His servant.
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17. Yithro:
Exodus 18:1 - 20:23

Yithro is the father-in-law of Moses, and a priest of Midian (decendents of Abraham with his last wife Qetura)  who has come to believe in the greatness of YHVH. He says, 'Now I know that YHVH is greater than all the gods, for in the very matter in which [the Egyptians] had conspired against them.' In watching Moses sitting and judging the people, Yithro realizes that Moses has taken on too much responsibility, that he as well as the people with get worn out. He advises that Moses teach the people God's rules, then appoint leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens to judge locally, while Moses brings the most difficult cases before God. After Yithro finishes counseling Moses, he returns to Midian. Then in the third month after the Exodus, God is ready to unite the Israelites as His beloved treasure, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. He gives them, and by extension us, His Ten Commandments. The very first statement is: 'I am YHVH, your God, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of workers.' Anyone who resonates to this statement, and lives by it, is part of YHVH's house.
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18. Mishpatiym:
Exodus 21:1 - 24:18

Mishpatiym means 'laws.' In this parasha God delineates His criminal and civil (tort) laws, as well as ritual laws. For a person who respects and is guided by YHVH, these laws are many but they are all doable. They range from the laws of murder and manslaughter, to property rights, lending and borrowing, proper treatment of women, orphans, strangers and animals, and the ritual festivals of the Sabbath and Pesach. God gives Moses the landmarks of the boundaries of the promised land. Then Moses tells all the people YHVH's words, and they respond with: 'All the words that YHVH has spoken we will do.' Moses then wrote them down in the Book of the Covenant, which is the book we are studying this very day.
Download PDF of Mishpatiym
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19. Therumah:
Exodus 25:1 - 27:19

YHVH speaks to Moses to tell the Children of Israel to take for Him a therumah, or portion, 'from every man whose heart motivates him you shall take My portion.' God tells Moses what He needs from the Israelites in order to build His tabernacle: gold, silver, copper; blue/purple/red wool and linen and goat hair; red-dyed ram skins, soft animal skins (suede), acacia wood, pure olive oil for lighting the eternal flame and for anointing, spices and incense; and semi-precious stones for the priest's garments. The Israelites are so moved to give to God His portion that they bring more and more of these items, until Moses has to turn the latecomers away. God gives Moses the specific instructions for constructing His Sanctuary: in the Holy of Holies: the Ark of the Covenant and its Cover; in front of the Partition outside the Holy of Holies: the Show-bread Table, the Incense Altar, and the Menorah; outside in the Courtyard: the Copper Altar for burning the sacrifices of the Israelites; the staves for carrying the furniture; and the planks, sockets, tenons, and curtains of the Tent.
Download PDF of Th'rumah
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20. Th'tzaveh:
Exodus 27:20 - 30:10

God now tells Moses to command the Children of Israel concerning the uses of the furnishings, and instructs him on the making of the sacred vestments for Aaron and all future High Priests: the Breastplate, Ephod (apron), Robe, Tunic, Turban, Headplate, and Sash. And for his sons and their descendants, the future Priests: Tunic, Turban and Sash. And linen breeches for all for modesty. Then God instructs Moses on the procedures of the various sacrifices performed by the Priests in the Tabernacle: this includes the initial atonement, inauguration, and sanctification of the Sanctuary and the Priests. As YHVH says, 'I shall rest My Presence among the Children of Israel, and I shall be their God. They shall know that I am YHVH, their God, Who took them out of the land of Egypt to rest My Presence among them. I am YHVH, their God.
Download PDF of Th'tzaveh
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21. Kiy Thisa:
Exodus 30:11 - 34:35

Every man from the Children of Israel, from age twenty and up, shall be counted by giving a half shekel, no more no less, to atone for their souls and to pay for the work of the Tabernacle.
YHVH instructs Moses on the making of the copper Laver, as well as how to make the anointing oil and the incense. After these instructions, God designates Bezalel, which means 'in the image of God,' to make all the items of the Tabernacle. He then gives the rules for the Sabbath and then gives Moses the two Tablets of Testimony, 'stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.' Unfortunately, while God was speaking with Moses for forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai, the Israelites got impatient and had Aaron make them a molten gold calf. Thus begins the struggle between God, Moses and the Israelites, which continues to this day.
Download PDF of Kiy Thisa
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22. Va'yaq'heyl:
Exodus 35:1 - 38:20

Va'yaq'heyl means 'assemble.' In this parasha Moses assembles all the Children of Israel, who witnessed the events of the Exodus and God's great miracles. This assembly included all the 'witnesses' including all the men, women and children. Some estimate this added up to around 3 million people! It was all these people who assembled together all the materials for building God's Tabernacle and everything in it, and performed all the work and craftsmanship needed to complete the task. 'Every man and woman whose heart motivated them to bring for any of the work that YHVH had commanded to make, through 
Moses, the Children of Israel brought a free-willed offering to YHVH.'
Download PDF of Vayaq'heyl
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23. F'qudey:
Exodus 38:21 - 40:38

Once the people gave freely all the materials needed for the Tabernacle and the Priestly vestments, work began in earnest. In this parasha are the instructions for doing all the work. It is an intimate glimpse into the making of YHVH's interface between Himself and humanity. Once all the pieces are made, God instructs Moses on assembling them. This parasha, and the Book of Exodus, finish with YHVH's glory filling the completed Tabernacle: 'For the cloud of YHVH would be on the Tabernacle by day, and fire would be on it at night, before the eyes of all of the House of Israel throughout their journeys.'
Download PDF of F'qudey
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24. Va'yiqrah:
Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26

YHVH now speaks to Moses from the Tent of Meeting, and through him instructs the Children of Israel on His rules for being His people. The rules begin with five sacrificial offerings of animals (cattle, sheep and goats, and fowl) and of grain: 1. ohlah (elevation offering), 2. minchah (comfort offering), 3. shelamiym (peace offering) 4. chata'ath (sin offering) 5. asham (shame offering). These offerings cover the sins committed by the Israelites, to rebalance their souls and reboot their good intentions, in order to keep them aware of YHVH's requirements for remaining holy and decent in His eyes.
Download PDF of Vayiq'ra
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25. Tzav:
Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36

Tzav means 'command.' Mitzvah comes from the same root, and means 'commandment.' YHVH speaks to Moses to 'Command Aaron and his sons concerning the Torah (law)...' God then explains a variety of Torah laws concerning the sacrificial offerings, including 1. ohlah (elevation offering), 2. mincha (grain offering) 3. shelamiym (peace offering), 4. chata'ath (sin offering) 5. asham (shame offering), and 6. milu'iym (inauguration offering). These offerings are what Aaron and his sons, and all his descendants after him, need to be responsible for in order to maintain the integrity of the holy Tabernacle, and in order to safeguard our special connection to YHVH.
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26. Sh'miyniy:
Leviticus 9:1 - 11:47

Sh'miyniy means 'eighth.' On the eighth day after the building of the Tabernacle, Moses instructs Aaron and his sons how to prepare for YHVH appearing before them for the first time in the Tabernacle, and the entire assembly approached as well and stood before YHVH. Aaron had to slaughter his own chata'ath (sin offering), in the form of an egel, or calf, just like the one he fashioned from gold several parashas ago when Moses was away for 40 days and 40 nights with YHVH. Aaron did as he was commanded, including an ohlah (elevation offering) and a shelamiym (peace offering). He raised his hands toward the people and blessed them, and then the glory of YHVH appeared to the entire people. Unfortunately, two of Aaron's four sons, Nadab and Abihu, were not so respectful. Shortly after YHVH appeared to the assembly after Aaron's obedient preparation, Nadab and Abihu brought alien fire that God had not commanded them. God then sent forth a fire that consumed them, because, as Moses said, 'Of this did YHVH speak, saying, "I will be sanctified through those who are nearest Me, thus I will be honored before the entire people."'
Download PDF of Sh'miyniy
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27. Thaz'riyah:
Leviticus 12:1 - 13:59

The parasha begins with YHVH instructing Moses concerning the laws of purification for a woman giving birth, first of a boy, and then of a girl. On the eighth day after his birth, the boy's foreskin is circumcised. This is the law of the brit milah, or covenant of completion, for all boys. The timing corresponds to the eighth day after the building of the Tabernacle, when God appears to Aaron and his sons. Symbolically, the brit milah pulls the boys from the eighth day after birth into YHVH's covenant of holiness, bringing them close to God similar to Aaron and his sons.
The rest of the parasha describes a variety of disorders caused by spiritual contamination, and guides the Kohens on how to identify them and how to treat them.
Download PDF of Thaz'riyah
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28. M'tzorah:
Leviticus 14:1 - 15:33

God instructs Moses on the Torah (law) of the m'tzorah, the spiritually contaminated one, on the day that he will be purified. On this day the m'tzorah is brought to the Kohen and examined by him. If the m'tzorah is healed from his disorder, by his good behavior and by God's grace, he is allowed back into the camp only after a seven day quarantine period outside of the camp (presumably so not to spiritually contaminate anyone else). On the eighth day he has to go through an elaborate ceremony of re-entry into the camp, before the Kohen and before YHVH. After this, God instructs Moses and Aaron concerning homes He has afflicted with spiritual contamination in Canaan, the Promised Land, and how to purify them. God also instructs Moses and Aaron concerning men and women with contaminated bodily discharges, and how to purify them as well, separating them from their contamination so they remain spiritually pure in YHVH's presence.
Download PDF of M'tzorah
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29. Acharey Moth:
Leviticus 16:1 - 18:30

This parasha occurs after the deaths of two of Aaron's sons who brought alien fire to YHVH's Altar. God now instructs Moses on how Aaron is to re-sanctify the Sanctuary and provide atonement for himself, his household, and for the entire congregation of Israel. Part of the service are two goats, one for slaughter and the other for 'Azazel.' Az means 'goat' and 'might,' and azel means 'used up, exhausted.' The goat of Azazel symbolizes the exhausted relationship between the Israelites and YHVH. In order to atone for this exhaustion and correct it, the goat of Azazel is stood before YHVH in the Sanctuary. Then 'Aaron shall lean his two hands upon the head of the living he-goat and confess upon it all the iniquities of the Children of Israel, and all their rebellious sins among all their sins, and place them upon the head of the he-goat, and send it with a designated man to the desert. The he-goat will bear upon itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land, and he should send the he-goat to the desert.' YHVH wants His stubborn people to move beyond their differences with Him, listen to Him and be good in His eyes. In the rest of the parasha God lists rules and laws of behavior that are good in His eyes.
Download PDF of Acharey
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30. Q'doshiym:
Leviticus 19:1 - 20:27

YHVH continues to speak to Moses, telling him 'Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and say to them: you shall be holy, for holy am I, YHVH, your God.' YHVH continues to list rules and laws of behavior that are good in His eyes, including honest and decent dealings with others. It is here that God tells us to love our fellow as ourself: 'You shall not be a gossipmonger among your people, you shall not stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed -- I am YHVH. You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fellow and do not bear a sin because of him. You shall not take revenge and you shall not bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your fellow as yourself -- I am YHVH.'
Download PDF of Q'doshiym
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31. Emor:
Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23

There are three types of laws and rules in the Torah: civil and criminal, between all the people; ceremonial, between the priests and the people; and moral, between the people and YHVH. This parasha speaks first to the Kohaniym, or priests, how they need to remain holy and separate themselves from the people. It then tells how the people shall approach the Kohaniym with sacrifices, to atone for their sins and gain closeness to YHVH. It then describes the appointed festivals that God designates as holy to Him: 1. the Sabbath day; 2. the Passover week in the first month of the year (Aviv, spring); 3. the ceremony of the Omer (sheaf of barley) and Shavuot ('Weeks,' counting the seven weeks after Passover). in the seventh month, what is known as 4. Rosh Hashanah (head of the year), a Sabbath day of remembrance and blasts from a shofar; 5. Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, ten days after Rosh Hashanah; 6. and the week of Succoth, the Festival of Booths, beginning 15 days after Rosh Hashanah. The parasha ends with an Israelite blaspheming the Name of God, and God's punishment carried out: the man is taken outside the camp and all who heard the blasphemy, sojourner and native alike, stoned the man to death.
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32. B'har:
Leviticus 25:1 - 26:2

YHVH instructs Moses to speak to the Children of Israel about the Sh'mitah, the Sabbath of the Land, where for six years they may plant seed and prune, but the seventh year is a year of rest for the land, when all, including all people, farm animals and wild animals, are allowed to eat freely from the produce of the seventh year. The latest Sabbath of the Land was 2014-2015; the next will be 2021-2022. God then has Moses count seven cycles of Sabbatical years, or 49 years, and the 50th year after that is the Jubilee Year, sanctified and announced by blasts of the shofar on the Day of Atonement. 'You shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom throughout the land for all its inhabitants.' God then describes the Levite cities, how they don't get an inheritance of land but YHVH is their inheritance, financed by the other Israelite tribes; if your brethren become poor you should lend them without interest, and if you buy them as servants you should still treat them as equals, and then release them and their families in the Jubilee Year. 'For the Children of Israel are servants to Me, they are My servants, whom I have taken out of the land off Egypt -- 
I am YHVH your God.'
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33. B'chukothay:
Leviticus 26:3 - 27:34

YHVH lets the Israelites know that He will take good care of them if they respect their relationship with Him: 
'If you will follow My decrees and observe My commandments and perform them, then I will provide your rains in their time, and the land will give its produce and the tree of the field will give its fruit. Your threshing will last until the vintage, and the vintage will last until the sowing. You will eat your bread to satiety and you will dwell securely in your land....'
'But if you will not listen to Me and will not perform all of these commandments, if you consider My decrees loathsome, and if your soul rejects My ordinances, so as not to perform all My commandments, so that you annul My covenant, then I will do the same to you....'
YHVH's exceptional good is reciprocal, and He expects His people to be as good to Him as He is good to them.
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34. B'midbar:
Numbers 1:1 - 4:20

In the first day of the second month, in the second year after the Exodus from Egypt, in the Wilderness of Sinai in the Tent of Meeting, YHVH speaks to Moses. He tells him to 'Lift the head of all witnesses of the Children of Israel, count the names of all males who 'gilgal', from twenty years of age and up, everyone who goes out to the army in Israel.' Gilgal means 'wheel' or 'that which rolls around.' Thus all the males who participate in the everyday cycle of defense of the Tabernacle and the Children of Israel are counted in this census. The defenders are the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, Dan, Asher and Naphtali: a total of 603, 550. The Levites were not counted as they were in charge exclusively of the Tabernacle. The other tribes were arrayed around the Tabernacle as follows: at the front or East: Judah, Issachar and Zebulun; South: Reuben, Simeon and Gad; West: Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin; North: Dan, Asher and Naphtali.
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35. Naso:
Numbers 4:21 - 7:89

The census finishes with two of the tribes of Levi: Gershon and Merari. Then God instructs  the Children of Israel how to keep His camp holy:  send out of the camp anyone who has a contamination, men and women alike, whether by a spiritual skin disorder, a bodily emission, or contact with a human corpse; anyone who commits any of the sins of 'adam,' or humankind, needs to confess their sin and pay restitution; a wife who is accused of straying from her husband goes through a ceremony to either be found guilty or be absolved. The Nazarite is someone who chooses to take upon him or herself a vow of abstinence for God: no grape products, no shaving of any hair, no contact with a dead person, including parents.
God blesses the Children of Israel through Aaron and his sons in the Priestly Blessing:
'May YHVH bless you and safeguard you;
May YHVH illuminate His countenance for you and be gracious to you;
May YHVH lift His countenance to you and establish peace for you.'
Let them place My Name upon the Children of Israel, and I shall bless them.'
The Tabernacle is dedicated, Moses enters the Tent of Meeting, and God speaks to him from atop the Cover of the Ark, between the two Cherubim.
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36. B'ha'alothchah:
Numbers 8:1 - 12:16

YHVH has Aaron kindle the lights of the Menorah, then He has Moses purify the Levites so that they can begin to serve Him in the Tabernacle. A Levite is allowed to serve in the Tabernacle from age 25 to 50, assembling, taking down and transporting the Tabernacle, and keeping everything clean, protected and holy. After age 50 he is allowed to continue protecting the Tent of Meeting and his brethren, but he is retired from the work of the Tabernacle.
YHVH reminds Moses when it is time for the Passover-offering; even if an Israelite is contaminated or out of town and unable to do the Passover-offering at the appointed time, God gives them a second time one month later to complete Passover. God accompanies the Israelites in a cloud, resting over the camp when staying in one place, lifting up and traveling when the camp travels on. He has the Israelites make two silver trumpets to summon them before Him. Unfortunately, at this time some complaints begin, as some whine about the (lack of) food and their boring lives; Moses' siblings Aaron and Miriam complains about his Cushite (Ethiopian) wife, then complain that Moses got all the prophetic attention. God punishes many in this parasha!
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37. Sh'lach:
Numbers 13:1 - 15:41

YHVH speaks to Moses to send out an expedition of distinguished men from each tribe, to tour the Land of Canaan. There they find amazing produce: grape clusters so big they have to carry them on a double pole, pomegranates and figs, a land flowing with milk and honey. They also find that the people of the land are very powerful, and live in great and fortified cities; they also saw 'offspring of the giant,' and Amalek, Esau's grandson and the Israelite's most feared enemy.  This part of the report put the whole of the camp in a tizzy. Caleb tried to calm their fears, but the other men just fan the flames by reporting that the 'Nephilim,' or fallen gods, were also there. At this point the people fell into what can be described as a 'national hysteria.' Joshua son of Nun and Caleb tried to calm them, and Moses pleaded with God on behalf of the people. God forgave the people but in order to slowly dissipate their inflammatory souls He had them wander through the wilderness for a total of forty years before entering Canaan, the Promised Land. He also began a plague that took the worst of the complainers, and did not finish until Pinchas stopped it with his dispatching of an errant Israelite and a lascivious Midianite princess named Cozbi.
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38. Qorach:
Numbers 16:1 - 18:32

In the very next parasha after the 'national hysteria,' Qorach, a Levite, confronts Moses and tells him that all the Israelites are holy, so why should Moses be so hoity-toity and 'holier-than-thou?? Moses knows that he had no say in whom YHVH chose as His representative (didn't he try to avoid serving God in the incident of the Burning Bush?) Moses is distraught, and he asks Qorach to meet with him, but Qorach refuses. Then Moses asks Qorach and his followers to bring a fire-offering to God the next day. They do, God rejects their offerings, and they get swallowed up by the earth. After this, the Israelites become even more hysterical. Then God sends a plague to consume the hysteria mongers, and things begin to settle down in the camp.
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39. Chuqath:
Numbers 19:1 - 22:1

A red cow is sacrificed outside the camp, incinerated with cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson yarn, and then the ashes are kept outside the camp in a holy place. Whenever an Israelite or proselyte becomes contaminated by a dead human, they need to purify themselves with these ashes. Only then will they be allowed back into the camp. When the Children of Israel arrive at the Wilderness of Zin, somewhere in the Negev desert, Miriam dies. As there is no water, the people whine once again, and blame Moses once again for their misfortune. YHVH tells Moses to take his staff and strike a certain rock before the people, and it will bring forth water. Unfortunately, Moses had to editorialize and adds his snide remark: he says, 'Listen now, O rebels, shall we bring forth water for you from this rock?' implying that he and Aaron have the power and are the givers of the water. YHVH rebukes Moses and Aaron, saying to them: 'Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Children of Israel, therefore you will not bring this congregation to the Land that I have given them.' Challenges continue throughout this parasha, with the people falling apart with each new problem, and YHVH continuing the protect them, rebuking them with a variety of lessons. Some learn the lessons and become better people, others don't.
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40. Balaq:
Numbers 22:2 - 25:9

Balaq son of Tzipor was the king of Moab at that time. He saw all that Israel had done to the surrounding nations and he and his people were frightened. He hired Bil'ahm son of B'ohr to curse Israel. Bil'ahm was known to be connected to YHVH and spiritually powerful, although not an Israelite. As Balaq said, 'for I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed.' But Bil'ahm knew his power was limited to what YHVH wanted from him. He said, 'If Balaq will give me his houseful of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of YHVH, my God, to do any-thing small or great.' On his way to Balaq, Bil'ahm's donkey tries to stop him from going further. She even speaks to Bil'ahm after he strikes her for not going forward, saying, 'What have I done to you that you struck me these three times?' Amazingly, Bil'ahm talks back to her, saying, 'Because you mocked me! If only there were a sword in my hand I would now have killed you!' YHVH then opens Bil'ahm's eyes and he sees that if he had gone forward God's angel would have killed him. Bil'ahm saw that it was good in YHVH's eyes to bless Israel, and he says, 'How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!'
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41. Pin'chas:
Numbers 25:10 - 30:1

At the end of the previous parasha, the Israelites start mingling with the Moabites and their gods, attending their feasts and eating with and prostrating themselves to their gods. YHVH once again gets angry with His people. God tells Moses to punish the leaders but Moses weakens. As a last straw, an Israelite man brings a Midianite woman before Moses and the entire assembly, takes her into his tent and cavorts with her. Pinchas, the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the Kohen, realized this was a direct snub against Moses and God and dispatched both of them in one fell swoop. In parasha Pinchas, God strengthens Pinchas, and asks Moses to 'bind the Midianites and defeat them, for they bound you through their conspiracy that they conspired against you...'
In the meantime, the plague that started after the 'national hysteria' several parashas ago, has been checked by Pinchas' action. After the deaths of many bad Children, YHVH has Moses and Elazar son of Aaron the Kohen take a census of the remaining Children of Israel, from age 20 and up, who 'go out to the legion in Israel,' that is, God's standing army. God then reiterates the times He needs the men to show up before Him: 1. the Sabbath 2. the New Moon 3. Passover 
4. Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) 5. Rosh Hashanah (Yom T'ruah or Day of Shofar Blasts) 6. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) 7. Succoth (Week of Booths) and 8. Shemini Atzeret (Day of Ceasing Work).
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42. Matoth:
Numbers 30:2 - 32:42

Moses speaks to the heads of the 'matoth,' or tribes, of the Children of Israel, to tell them YHVH's rules for vowing in His Name. God then tells Moses what He wants him to do with the Midianites before he is gathered to his people (that is, before he dies). YHVH uses the phrase 'naqom niqmath' which means 'get relief from.' It is also translated as 'take vengeance for' or 'come clean.' Remember that the Midianites, under the leadership of Balaq, wanted to destroy the Israelites. One way the Midianites knew to destroy them was to destroy their good relationship with their God, YHVH. Even though God told the prophet Bil'ahm that He was not angry with His people, Bil'ahm nevertheless told Balaq what to do to get the Israelites in trouble with God. Shortly thereafter, the Israelite camp was infiltrated with the Midianite women with sex on their minds. Sure enough, this caused the weak among the Israelite men to sin against YHVH, and He punished them. Coming full circle in this parasha, the Israelites now need to come clean with God concerning the Midianites, which they do with some degree of success, but also some failure.
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43. Mas'eyh:
Numbers 33:1 - 36:13

'Mas'eyh' means 'journeyings forth.' The beginning of this parasha was written by Moses to describe the journeys of the Israelites 'at the bidding of YHVH.' It is a dry but detailed account of their travels and travails up to that point, beginning with Rameses and ending with Canaan. YHVH then delineates the borders of Canaan that He is giving to the Children of Israel, and the leaders who will take possession of the Land for them. YHVH then assigns the cities for the Levites, and the sanctuary cities for people who were convicted of manslaughter but protected from vengeance killing, at least until the current High Priest died. The parasha ends with a petition from five sisters from the tribe of Joseph, the five daughters of Tzeloph'chad, who have no brothers. Moses relates YHVH's answer: 'Let them (the daughters of Tzeloph'chad) be wives to whomever is good in their eyes, but only to the family of their father's tribe shall they become wives. An inheritance of the Children of Israel shall not make rounds from tribe to tribe.' YHVH approved of the daughters of Tzeloph'chad inheriting land, a landmark in this patriarcal society.
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44. D'variym:
Deuteronomy 1:1 - 3:22

'Deuteronomy' means 'second telling' in Greek. It is Moses speaking to the Children of Israel before they entered the land promised to them by YHVH. In this first parasha of the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses mixes a chronicle of their travels together along with some rebukes for their rebellious behavior. The interesting thing about this parasha is the voice of the man whom God chose to lead His people out of the black hole of slavery and into freedom. He is one of us, human, flawed, yet great in his devotion to his God, YHVH, and his fellow humans. This parasha, and this Book, are the words of a man who loved us, is rooting for us, and suffers along with us for our sins against YHVH.
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45. Va'ethchanan:
Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11

Moses recounts the incident of the 'Waters of Bitterness,' where he carelessly defied YHVH by yelling at the Children of Israel and taking credit for bringing forth water from the rock. For this YHVH denied him access to the Promised Land. So Moses speaks to his fellows from the other side of the Jordan from Canaan, before they enter the 'good Land.' He adds, 'You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it, to observe the commandments of YHVH, your God, that I command you.' He reassures the Israelites that their God will not abandon them, but they must not abandon Him. Thus the covenant between God and Israel can only be broken by the Israelites themselves. God is faithful to them forever. Moses recounts the Ten Commandments,  with some personal changes. Luckily, we have the full Ten Commandments written out in Exodus 20:1-14 to always refer to.
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46. Eyhqev:
Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25

Eyh'qev means 'following on the heel of.' It is the same root word as Ya'aqov, or Jacob, who, when he was being birthed, 'followed on the heel' of his brother Esav, by grasping baby Esav's heel. Eyh'qev also  means: if you do one thing, this thing will follow. So if the Israelites take YHVH seriously and follow His laws, rules and ordinances, then He will follow with His promises of good. If, on the other hand, the Israelites don't take YHVH seriously, it will follow that He will do something that is the opposite of good. In other words, YHVH is true to His word, and is first and foremost the God of Justice. God gives us all good, but it is our job to justify the goodness He gives us. If not, we're outside of His covenant and vulnerable to all the bad that existence has to offer.
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47. R'eyh:
Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17

'See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse.' R'eyh means 'see.' YHVH, through Moses, helps us see blessings and curses. Fortunately for us, He gave us the ability to grow our souls through experience and maturity, even though our physical bodies inevitably erode. This is the nature of our amazing souls, which are able to grow stronger as we get older. This parasha reviews the things important to keeping our souls alive, healthy, and growing. It also reviews the things that can lead us astray and erode our souls. By reviewing these things regularly, the blessings and the curses, we can continuously remind ourselves how to stay on the straight and narrow path of God's goodness.
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48. Shof'tiym:
Deuteronomy 16:18 - 21:9

Shof'tiym are judges. The judge is the image of Lady Justice holding the scales of balance in one hand, a sword in the other, blind to outside influence, and seeing YHVH's justice from inside. In this parasha Moses states, 'You shall not pervert judgment, you shall not respect someone's presence, and you shall not accept a bribe, for the bribe will blind the eyes of the wise and make just words crooked. Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue, so that you will live and possess the land that YHVH, your God, gives you.' We are reminded that as Israelites who 'struggle with gods and people because we are able,' justice is a constant struggle. Moses asks that we humble ourselves before our God, and not stray from His path left or right. Only in this way can we continue as a people guided by the God Who wants us to be good in His eyes.
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49. Kiy They'tzey:
Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19

Continuing the theme of justice, this parasha highlights a variety of situations where the Israelites could pervert justice, but are compelled not to. When a man goes out to war and captures a beautiful woman and brings her back to his home, Moses says he can take her as a wife, but only after she shaves her head, lets her nails grow, removes her 'garment of captivity,' and weeps for her father and mother for a full month. After this, if she is not pleasing to her captor, he needs to let her go free, because he has afflicted her. In other words, she is allowed to express her humanity before her captor and he has to to see her as human. The rest of the parasha reviews a variety of situations where justice could be perverted but YHVH's people are not allowed to, such as concerning property rights, marriage and inheritance rights, the rights of orphans and widows, and even the rights of a mother bird sitting on her nest.
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50. Kiy Thavo:
Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8

Moses states that the first fruits of all crops belong to YHVH, because it is He Who gives you the land and the bounty. You are to bring the first fruits of your land to the Kohen, and remind yourself that you are in the land that YHVH swore to give to your forefathers. The Kohen will take your basket from your hand and lay it before the altar of YHVH. You are then to answer and convey before YHVH your God: 'My father was a lost Aramean; he descended to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a great nation, strong and numerous. The Egyptians treated us badly and afflicted us, and gave us hard work. Then we cried out to YHVH, the God of our fathers, and YHVH heard our voice and saw our affliction, our travail and our oppression. YHVH took us out of Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great awesomeness, and with signs and with wonders. He brought us to this place and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold! I have brought the first fruit of the ground that You have given me, O YHVH!' And you shall lay it before YHVH, your God, and you shall prostrate yourself before YHVH, your God. You shall rejoice with all the goodness that YHVH, your God, has given you and your household, you and the Levite and the sojourner who is in your midst.
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51. Nitzaviym:
Deuteronomy 29:9 - 30:20

Know before Whom you stand.  Moses reminds us of YHVH's presence and His continued relationship with us forever. Moses says, 'Not with you alone do I cut this covenant, but with whoever is here standing with us today before YHVH, our God, and with whoever is not here with us today.'  
God's covenant is sealed with us for all times, written in the Torah that is accessible to all people who choose YHVH as their God. We are asked to choose the good and the life, vs. bad and death. It's quite straightforward, open to all who want knowledge. You just need to open the Torah and read it and take it seriously. Since YHVH is with us forever (His name means 'Eternal'), when we are good we are rewarded by Him, and when we are bad we are punished by Him. Then when we choose to return to Him, He is ready to take us back into His covenant. It's all our choice.
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52. Va'yeylech:
Deuteronomy 31:1 - 31:30

Moses is now 120 years old. 'Moses wrote this Torah and gave it to the Kohanim, the sons of Levi, the bearers of the Ark of the Covenant of YHVH, and to all the elders of Israel.' He tells the Israelites to read this Torah in its entirety in the sabbatical year during Succoth, every seven years, In this way he is able to pass the responsibility on to the next generation of leaders, telling them to be courageous and trust in YHVH. Sadly, YHVH reminds Moses that this people will stray after other gods, and thus cause themselves much distress and disaster. The next parasha is a song that God tells Moses to write, to teach to the Children of Israel, and to be for YHVH a witness against them.
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53. Ha-aziynu:
Deuteronomy 32:1 - 32:52

'Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and may the earth hear the words of my mouth.' Thus begins the song that YHVH has Moses write, to teach to the Children of Israel, and to be for God a witness against them. It is a sad song, one that reminds YHVH that His children are flawed. It reminds us that we are flawed, that we mistreat our Heavenly Father by being ungrateful and unfaithful. Maybe we treat our own parents this way, maybe our parents treated their parents this way. Even so, YHVH continues to remember us and root for us. He is hopeful and patient.  At the end of the song Moses says to all Israel, 'Apply your hearts to all the words that I testify against you today, with which you are to instruct your children, to be careful to perform all the words of this Torah, for it is not an empty thing for you, for it is your life, and through this matter you shall prolong your days on the land to which you cross the Jordan, to possess it.'
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54. V'zoth Ha-b'rachah:
Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12

'And this is the blessing...' Moses gives a final blessing to all the tribes of the Children of Israel, but omits Shimeon. Theories abound as to why Shimeon was omitted from Moses' blessing, not the least of which is the role Shimeon played in killing the Shechemite men (along with Levi, who repented) after they were circumcised, for kidnaping their sister Dina and defiling her. In the final chapter of Deuteronomy and the Five Books of Moses, God allows Moses to ascend from the plains of Moab to the top of Mount Nebo, to see the Promised Land from the outside. Moses was able to see and be comforted that this land was good, that YHVH fulfilled His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that Moses' fellow Israelites will be granted all the good that God promised. 'Never again has there arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom YHVH had known face to face, as evidenced by all the signs and wonders that YHVH sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his courtiers and all his land, and by the strong hand and awesome power that Moses performed before the eyes of all Israel.' The very next book of the Bible is entitled 'Joshua,' for he was the next leader chosen by YHVH, to lead His people into the Promised Land.
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