Vayigash
22 years after Yosef, they faced the prospect of their father Yaakov ‘losing’ another one of his sons, Binyamin. Yehuda approached Yosef, recounting Yosef’s demand to see Binyamin and Yaakov’s…
Vayechi
Yaakov had been in Egypt for 17 years and was 147 years old. Knowing that he would soon die, he asked Yosef to take an oath to bury him in…
Shemot
The Torah names the sons of Yaakov who came down to Egypt. Yosef’s death is recorded again. His brothers also died. The nation increased in number. A new Pharaoh came…
Vaera
God reassured Moshe that He will keep His promise to the forefathers to bring the nation into the Land of Cana’an (Israel). God heard the crying out of the enslaved…
Bo
After the first seven plagues, Moshe and Aharon again warned Pharaoh to let the nation go, lest Egypt suffer an eighth plague. Pharaoh’s advisors encouraged him to agree. However, he…
Beshalach
After Pharaoh sent the Israelites out of Egypt, God did not lead them straight through the land of the Philistines towards Cana’an (Israel), but rather towards the Sea of Reeds.…
Yitro
Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law and Midianite priest, heard about the miraculous Exodus from Egypt. He came to meet Moshe in the desert, together with his daughter Tziporah (Moshe’s wife) and Moshe’s…
Mishpatim
The sidra contains many mitzvot, of which a selection has been included here. It starts with the laws of a Jewish servant. He is to work for six years, after…
Terumah
God told Moshe to ask the Jews for voluntary offerings towards the construction and functioning of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The materials needed are gold, silver and copper; turquoise, purple and…
Tetzaveh
God told Moshe to instruct the people to bring pure, pressed olive oil for lighting the Menorah in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Aharon and his sons take charge of setting up…