Explaining the Torah Parsha - By: jessies sims

The Torah Parsha, in part is a section of a biblical text, or more specifically a part of one of the five books of Moses. These five books of the Torah correspond to the first five books of what Christians call the Old Testament: Bereishith/Genesis, Shemoth/Exodus, Vayiqra/Leviticus, Bamidar/Numbers and Devarim/Deuteronomy. Each week at synagogues all around the world, the same Torah Parsha is read aloud on the Sabbath. The last one is read some time in December or January then the process starts over again.

The tradition of the weekly Torah Parsha stretches back several thousand years and was meant to keep the Hebrews in constant touch with their sacred texts when they were living under very difficult conditions. Even when some pagan rulers tried to stamp out monotheism and persecute believers, Hebrews were admonished to read and reread their texts. This was crucial because the practice helped to ensure they would be remembered and followed by the next generations. As the Jewish people were often scattered into small groups, this practice helped to maintain Jewish solidarity over the centuries. The modern Torah scrolls used in today’s ceremonies have the text divided into the appropriate portions for the weekly readings.

During the week leading up to the public reading of the Torah Parsha, Jews who observe the practice are to set aside enough time for reading, studying and discussing the portion’s themes and lessons. You can do this by yourself or in study groups. You and your study partners can make use of the traditional texts, as well as study commentaries that analyze the texts to gain greater insights. There are also a large number of educational and religious resources on the Internet such as websites like torah.org and the Parsha of the week can be studied at Ask.com. Some of these sites advocate that you devote as little as ten minutes to the study of the Torah each day. Even this modest commitment adds up to a considerable amount of time over the course of a year.

The Torah Parsha, called Bo, is one of the most important portions in the Hebrew Bible and it corresponds to Exodus 10:1 through 3:16 in the Christian Bible. Bo means “go” or “come” in Hebrew. This Parsha is the fifteenth in the yearly cycle and it is read in late January or early February. This part of the Torah describes the last three plagues visited upon Egypt because it kept the Hebrews in slavery. The last three plagues were the worst: the swarm of locusts, the plague of darkness and the plague of the firstborn. These events, along with the Passover, are obviously some of the most important episodes in Jewish history. Before God set the last plague in motion he said, “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn – both man and animal – and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.” After the death of his son, Pharaoh finally relented and let Moses leave Egypt with the Hebrew people.

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