Pray

The Shema

An affirmation of God’s singularity, its daily recitation is regarded by traditionally observant Jews as a biblical commandment.

The Seder Plate

The placement and symbolism of the items on the seder plate.

Rules for Passover

From avoiding leavened products to the Fast of the First Born, here’s your cheat sheet of Passover practices.

What is Not OK to Eat on Passover

Your guide to which foods are customarily avoided on the holiday.

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Next Torah Portion

Summary

In this Torah portion, God continues to describe the different laws of sacrifices. A distinction is made between sin offerings, burnt offerings, and homage offerings, with each following its own process. God then commands the priests to make another offering that ordains themselves in their positions.
FULL SUMMARY
HAFTARAH SUMMARY

Parashat Tzav

Leviticus 6:1-8:36

Malachi 3:4-24 | Shabbat HaGadol

Parashat Tzav: Bread in Abundance

Why does the Torah require that a gratitude offering be accompanied by loads of bread?


Recharge Now

Our weekly Shabbat newsletter, Recharge, features a thoughtful, timely essay to enrich your Shabbat. Here are a few of our recent pieces:

Singing God’s Song 

Brooding over a psalmist’s question in the face of death.

Revaluing Labor

On restoring the prestige of physical work.

Loving the Stranger

It’s the most frequently repeated commandment in the Torah, but what does it actually require?


MORE from MY JEWISH LEARNING

Tips for Celebrating Passover on a Budget

How to make Passover beautiful and affordable.

Ask the Expert: Do All Religions Worship the Same God?

Jews don’t have a monopoly on God, but we do privilege and prefer our own access.

Jews and Guns

What Judaism teaches about firearms, hunting and more.

The Jews of Russia

The territories of the former Russian Empire were the cradle of Jewish modernity, the birthplace of Zionism and Jewish socialism, and a major center of the Hasidic movement.

How to Talk to God

The Hasidic prayer practice of hitbodedut — talking to God freely in one’s native tongue — helps to build intimacy over time.

Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World

This phrase with kabbalistic roots has come to connote social justice.

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