Portion Summaries The tenth reading from the book of Genesis is named Miketz, which means “at the end.” The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream” (Genesis 41:1). The portion begins with Pharaoh’s portentous dreams, Joseph’s […]
Portion Summaries The eleventh reading from the book of Genesis is named Vayigash, which means “and he came near.” The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “Then Judah him” (Genesis 44:18). The portion begins with the dramatic unveiling of Joseph’s true identity and his reconciliation with his brothers. It then […]
Portion Summaries The last reading from the book of Genesis is named Vayechi, which means “and he lived.” The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years” (Genesis 47:28). In this Torah portion, Jacob prepares for his death by securing a double portion […]
Shemot is both the title for the second book from the scroll of the Torah and the title of the first Torah portion therein. Shemot means “names.” The English-speaking world calls this book Exodus. The Hebrew title for the book comes from the opening phrase of the book: “Now these are the names of the sons of […]
The second reading from the book of Exodus and fourteenth reading from the Torah is named Va’era, which means “and I appeared.” The title comes from the first words of the second verse of the reading, which says, “And I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty” (Exodus 6:3). The portion begins with […]
The fifteenth reading from the Torah is named Bo, which means “come.” The title comes from the first words of the first verse of the reading, which say, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘ to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart’” (Exodus 10:1). The portion begins by concluding the narrative of the ten […]
The sixteenth reading from the Torah is named Beshalach, which means “when he sent.” The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which can be literally translated to say, “And it happened when Pharaoh sent out the people.” The reading tells the adventures of the Israelites as they leave Egypt, cross the Red […]
The seventeenth reading from the Torah is named Yitro, which is the literal Hebrew behind the name Jethro. The title comes from the first words of the first verse of the reading, which says, “Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His […]
The eighteenth reading from the Torah is named Mishpatim, which means “judgments.” The title comes from the first words of the first verse of the reading, which could be literally translated to say, “And these are the judgments which you will place before them” (Exodus 21:1). The first three chapters of this Torah portion deliver […]
The nineteenth reading from the Torah is named Terumah. In Exodus 25:2, the LORD commanded Moses to “tell the sons of Israel to a contribution for Me.” The word translated as “contribution” is terumah, which is the name of this Torah portion. Terumah is a word with no real English equivalent. In the Torah, terumah refers to a certain type […]
Tetzaveh is the twentieth reading from the Torah. Tetzaveh means “you shall command,” as in the first verse of the reading, which says, “You shall the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually” (Exodus 27:20). This Torah portion continues to narrate the instructions […]