Category Archives: Numbers/Bamidbar

A Brief Note on Vengeance and its Prevention – Parashot Matot and Masei

Posted on July 17, 2015 by markgoodman24

In this week’s twinned Torah reading, Parashot Matot and Masei, there are two teachings about vengeance. The two readings appear quite separate. The first we will discuss, relates to the human need to “get back”; the second describes God’s almost unslakable thirst for … Continue reading →

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A Brief Note on all the Begetting – Parsha Pinchas

Posted on July 7, 2015 by markgoodman24

The events recorded in Parsha Pinchas take place about thirty nine years after God had decreed the death of a generation; those that had shown doubt in the power of God and in the strength of leadership by Moses had … Continue reading →

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A Brief Note on a Greek Bearing Gifts – Parsha Balak

Posted on July 3, 2015 by markgoodman24

The Torah’s gaze leaves the Children of Israel, who are busy fighting their way to the Promised Lands and records a story that took place away from the Israelites’ camp and presumably without their knowledge. It’s the first time that … Continue reading →

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A Brief Note on the Probability of a Possibility – Parsha Korach

Posted on June 19, 2015 by markgoodman24

The Children of Israel had reached their nadir. They faced a horrible fate; death in the desert. They would never see the land they had dreamed of since Moses had led them out of slavery. They were full of despair, … Continue reading →

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A Brief Note on an All to Familiar Dialogue – Parsha Behaalotecha

Posted on June 5, 2015 by markgoodman24

The Torah, beginning from the Book of Exodus, is the story of the budding relationships that developed between God and His People, the Children of Israel. It is a tense dynamic, fractured and fractious. The Israelites are only months removed … Continue reading →

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A Brief Note on the Past – Parsha Naso

Posted on May 29, 2015 by markgoodman24

Parsha Naso is very long; one hundred and seventy-six verses. It records a number of very distinct subjects. Some now obscure; other still relevant to the conduct of our daily lives. Some unsophisticated and others unrefined, meant for a time now long … Continue reading →

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A Brief Note on Geography – Parsha Masei

Posted on July 25, 2014 by markgoodman24

Parsha Masei begins the final narrative of the Torah and takes place on the veritable eve of the Israelites’ war to conquer Canaan. The Parsha begins with a recollection of the journey which had been undertaken, from the land of Egypt to the eastern bank of … Continue reading →

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