God the creator of Heaven who alone is God.

Published: Tue, 03/17/26

Updated: Sat, 03/21/26

"The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.”

Leviticus 1:1-2

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Hi friend,

This coming Shabbat's Torah portion, read on Saturday, March 21st, is Parashat Vayikra. This week’s Torah reading, Vayikra, begins the third book of the Torah, Leviticus. Last week we completed the reading of the book of Exodus, which concluded with a description of the construction of the Tabernacle. This week’s portion will provide a description of the various sacrifices – animal, fowl, and meal-offerings – offered by the priests in this newly constructed Sanctuary.

Our beloved teacher Seth (Shimshon) Young, who teaches our Biblical Hebrew series, recently recorded a special briefing called "Israel, the US, Iran and Purim." It is exactly what it sounds like - an insider's view of what is going on in Israel and in the world today! Watch it below.

Join us in exploring the Weekly Bible Chapter: Blessed When We Bless; Cursed When We Curse by Dr Bradley Shavit Artson with Rabbi Avraham Norin, and let’s learn and reflect together!

Please enjoy this teaching of our beloved Root Source teacher, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz of blessed memory, about this week's Torah portion, Vayikra Pikudei, and share your thoughts with us!

Last week, our popular Root Source teacher Rabbi Gedalia Meyer talked about Vayakhel Pekudei. Watch it below.

Explore this thoughtful question about Pesach in Israel as Abigail asks how families and stores handle leaven before and after the holiday—discover the answer below!

Check below to hear what Gidon Ariel and Rosian Zerner have to share. Watch it below.

We sign off with a nice comment and a beautiful photo of Old City, Jerusalem, Israel.

Shalom,

Gidon Ariel and Bob O’Dell
Root Source Founders

Parashat Vayikra

The Torah describes the last type of voluntary meal offerings — the deep-fried meal offering — and the mandatory barley offering, the Omer offering, brought on the second day of Passover. G‑d instructs the Jews to add salt to every animal sacrifice or meal offering, a symbol of our everlasting “salt covenant” with G‑d. We are also commanded not to include any leavened items or anything which contains honey in any Temple offering (there are two exclusions to the leaven prohibition).

Israel, the US, Iran and Purim

Our beloved teacher Seth (Shimshon) Young, who teaches our Biblical Hebrew series, recently recorded a special briefing called “Israel, the US, Iran and Purim.” It is exactly what it sounds like – an insider’s view of what is going on in Israel and in the world today!

Watch it here!

Weekly Bible Chapter: Blessed When We Bless; Cursed When We Curse by Dr Bradley Shavit Artson

As the pagan prophet winds down his whirlwind tour, hired by Balak to survey and curse the Children of Israel, he offers a few final observations on his way out. Gazing at the Israelite camp below, he is filled with God’s spirit, and in that trance, he enunciates one of humanity’s most bizarre and unlikely ideas. He tells the Israelites, “Blessed are they who bless you; Accursed they who curse you! (24:9).”

Parashat Vayikra:

The Burden and Glory of Chosenness: Leviticus and Israel's Priestly Mission

The Book of Leviticus is fundamentally centered on holiness in all its dimensions. While it contains laws about offerings (korbanot), its scope extends beyond ritual practices to encompass a comprehensive framework of sanctity that permeates personal conduct, interpersonal relationships, and spiritual identity. The concept of holiness in Leviticus transcends temple rituals to include moral behavior, with even seemingly secular transgressions like theft described as “a trespass against God.”

Learn here

Weekly Torah Study: Vayakhel Pekudei

Man can create artificial intelligence, but only G-d can endow man with a Divine spirit, with wisdom, insight and knowledge. AI may be smarter than man, but it can never acquire the unique qualities that only G-d can inspire.

Learn here!

Conversations:
Gidon Ariel and Rosian Zerner - March 16, 2026

This was an introductory interview between Gidon Ariel from Root Source and Holocaust survivor Rosian Zerner, who was born in Kaunas, Lithuania in 1935 and currently lives in Dallas, Texas. The conversation covered Rosian’s early life in Lithuania before World War II, her family’s background as secular Jews with a long line of rabbis, and how her father’s career as a lawyer was restricted due to anti-Jewish laws. They discussed her experiences during the Holocaust, including her realization in 2000 that she had blocked out her childhood memories, which led her to return to Lithuania and visit the houses that she lived in and the ghetto where she was interned. Rosian shared her post-war journey, including living in Italy for six years and later moving to Boston, where she attended Columbia University and later worked to honor Holocaust victims through various organizations. The conversation revealed multiple personal connections between the two participants, including Gidon’s wife’s connection to Boston University and Rabbi Polack, and Rosian’s son’s attendance at Boston University Medical School.

Watch the video

Question about Pesach in Israel

Dave asked me a question and I did not know how to answer. We are working on cleaning out the leaven and he asked how you guys replenish afterward. I know the Torah in the Tanakh says it is not to even be in your land. So, now curious minds want to know how the stores there handle it.

Check here

Comments

We get so many comments!
Here is one from Georjean Allenbach on youtube video
The LIST 2022 Virtual Launch

"I am so grateful for these Jewish and Christian friends who work together to raise awareness to the baseless hatred that has prompted so many to commit antisemitic acts. We must all join together to lament the too too frequent acts against our Jewish friends. We want to share the books and help raise awareness!!

Old City, Jerusalem, Israel

Enjoy this photo in Old City, Jerusalem, Israel by Sander Crombach

Blessings and Shalom,
Bob and Gidon

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