weekly Torah reading: parasha Chayei Sarah 5784 - A Life Well-Lived

“And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; [these were] the years of the life of Sarah.” – Genesis 23:1, The Complete Jewish Tanach

weekly Torah reading: parasha Vayera 5784

weekly Torah reading: parasha Lech Lecha 5784

“Now the L-RD said unto Abram: ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee.’” – Genesis 12:1, JPS 1917 Tanach

weekly Torah reading: parasha Noach 5784

“The dove came back to him toward evening, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf. Then Noah knew that the waters had decreased on the earth.” – Genesis 8:11, JPSN

weekly Torah reading: parasha Bereishis 5784

“The heavens declare the glory of G-d, and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” – Psalm 19:2, JPS 1917 Tanach

Mishnah Berachos 4:6 - prayer during travel

"One who was traveling in a ship or on a raft should focus his heart opposite the Holy of Holies." - sefaria.org

Mishnah Berachos 5:1 - preparation before prayer

The recommended state-of-mind to acquire, before the Shemonah Esrei, standing prayer, when we stand before H’Shem, as if standing in front of a king. (And how much more so, since He is sovereign King of the Universe).

The words of kitvei kodesh (holy scripture) have meaning above and beyond the words themselves and are best understood within the greater context of the themes of the biblical narratives they portray, as well as their theological significance. The prayers in the siddur (prayerbook) may become an active means for inculcating the values, traditions, and beliefs of religion into our lives.

Torah reading: Exodus 33:12 - 34:26

The word sakoti, similar to sukkah, means cover or covering, and is found in the following verse: “And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover [sakoti] thee with My hand* until I have passed by” (Exodus 33:22, JPS 1917 Tanach). This is one connection found to Sukkot in the parashas chosen as the reading for Shabbat Chol HaMoed.

*According to Ibn Ezra, some commentators translate kappi (hand) as clouds. Thus the rendering is that the cloud covered Moses, in like manner as the Cloud of Glory, also symbolized by a sukkah.