This week, Moses faces another challenge as he leads the children of Israel through the wilderness. Between chapters 14–20, we read that Moses “fell on his face” five separate times.

Unbelief is a powerful thing. But its power is not always obvious. It does not usually announce itself as rebellion.

Life in the wilderness! In some ways it was glorious and in other ways it was disappointing and difficult. The children of Israel were redeemed out of Egypt, miraculously crossed the Red Sea, and sang a great song of praise as seen in Exodus 12–15.

This week's Torah portion continues the theme from last week of getting prepared for the wilderness journey. The overall theme is that preparation requires good organization and an internal strength of character and spirituality. The reason is that the journey will have all kinds of blessings and challenges.

Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, is this week. It begins Thursday evening and continues through Shabbat.

This week we begin the Book of Numbers. The Hebrew name of it is Bamidbar which translates in English to “In the Wilderness.” The Book of Numbers describes the journey of Israel from Sinai to the Plains of Moab just before entering the land.

What a “Wondrous Wisdom Weekend” we had with Dr. Ellie Paley. We learned that wisdom is found when we choose the way of Adonai that is rooted in the creation order of God.

This week our Torah portion is mostly about rules for priests to maintain holiness before God. It also contains guidance for all of Israel in morals, ethics, and specific seasons of giving thanks to God.

As we move forward in our 50 day journey of Counting the Omer, we begin to focus on Shavuot. However, our Torah portion is about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement!

This week our Torah portion (Leviticus 12:1–15:33) describes situations in which people are “clean” or “unclean.” In Hebrew, the words are “tamay” (unclean) or “tahor” (clean).

This week our Torah portion is about the installation of the priesthood and the seriousness of walking in holiness before God. It is appropriate for this time of year because we are at the beginning of the important season that we refer to as "Counting the Omer." This is the period between the offering of the early firstfruits and the offering of the latter firstfruits.

One of the names that describes Passover in the Haggadah is z’man cheruteinu, the “season of our freedom.” We gather around the Seder table remembering how God brought our ancestors out of Egyptian slavery to freedom in the wilderness.

This week there is a special Shabbat. In addition to its being the weekly day of rest, it is the Shabbat before Passover. It is called Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Sabbath.

This week our Torah portion is the beginning of the Book of Leviticus. The Tabernacle is completed, and the Glory of the Lord has filled the Tabernacle.

This week our Torah portion is the narrative about the building of the Tabernacle, which brings us to the conclusion of Exodus.

This week our Torah portion focuses on the story of the Golden Calf. To get the most out of this narrative, we must go back to Exodus 24 and read about the great covenantal ceremony when the whole nation spoke with one voice and promised to obey God.

The sense of smell is powerful. It can serve as a warning when you smell dangerous odors. On the other hand, our sense of smell brings back memories like grandma’s kitchen.

This week our Torah portion describes the way of life that God gave to Israel. The laws reflect the character of God.

This week, our Torah portion describes the escape from Egypt to the Red Sea and the beginning of the wilderness wanderings on the way to Sinai. The people do not understand the big picture.

I once saw a television advertisement for a smartphone company in which a child is given a large lollipop. Then another child standing nearby receives a much smaller lollipop.