Coffee and Torah



The new Torah cycle starts Oct 6, 2018

We will be starting with B'reisheet (Gen 1:1-6:8; Isa 42:5-43:10;John 1:1-18)

Come join us every Saturday at 10 am for a study using Old Rabbinical Commentary by Ramban to understand the Torah.

Nahmanides was a Spanish Talmudist, Kabbalist and biblical commentator (1194-1270), known, after the initial letters of his name, as Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman).  Nahmanides was born in Gerona, Spain, where he lived for most of his life. An outstanding Talmudist, his work in this field still enjoys the highest esteem among students of the Talmud. As a halachic authority, he exercised a great influence on the Codes of Jewish law, especially through his most distinguished disciple, Solomon Ibn Adret.

     Nahmanides was also the leading figure in the Gerona circle of Kabbalists. Indeed, it was through his renown as a Talmudist that respectability was won for the Spanish Kabbalah; though he was very circumspect in sharing his Kabbalistic insights, referring to them, for instance, in his Commentary to the Pentateuch, only by hint.

     In his commentary, one of the standard biblical commentaries which took its place side by side with that of Rashi, Nahmanides tries, wherever possible, to arrive at the plain meaning of the text. At the same time, he believes that the Torah has a deeper, inner meaning as a mystical text.

     

           NEW:              Book of Romans

        Manuscripts and               Power Point Slides                are now Posting. 

        Go to book of          Romans Page

Torah Portions

The origin of the first public Torah readings is found in the Book of Nehemiah, where Ezra the scribe writes about wanting to find a way to ensure the Israelites would not go astray again. This led to the creation of a weekly system to read the portions of the Torah at synagogue. We use the same schedule today that Ezra developed for reading and studying  the Torah Portions.