Do you remember the last Jewish holiday we observed? It wasn’t that long ago that we celebrated Shavu’ot, but maybe it feels like it was ages ago. That’s because we tend to look forward, not behind us. It’s an occupational hazard for Jewish professionals in that the moment we finish one special event, we are Continue Reading »
It may well be that the only reason I got into the college program of my choice was because of the phenomenon of “rounding up.” Though my grades may have come up a few percentage points short of the score I needed, I suspect my teachers gave me a boost. Having been a teacher myself, Continue Reading »
The covenant of Sinai, of which we haven’t heard much since the Book of Exodus, is revisited in Parshat Behar, the first of our two Torah portions this Shabbat. We read of the laws of Shemittah, or as the sabbatical year is called in this part of the Torah, “Shabbat Ha-aretz,” the Sabbath of the Land. Included in Continue Reading »
Every Pesah, I hear this refrain from at least a couple of people: “Oh, I like matzah. I eat it all year round.” For those who enjoy matzah “off-season,” Friday is good news. It’s Pesah Sheini, the make-up Passover that the Torah ordains for those who were ritually ineligible to observe the Pesah sacrifice at its proper time. Some people observe the Continue Reading »
Much of the content of this week’s two Torah portions, Tazria’ and Metzora’, address how the priesthood was to deal with people afflicted with skin ailments. But it’s not just a training manual for kohanim. It also includes guidance for the one who is afflicted and affected. See, for example, this verse: “As for the person with a leprous Continue Reading »
How long does your Seder last? It probably doesn’t run quite as long as the Seder of the FIve Sages, about whom we read in the Haggadah: “An incident happened with Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshu’a, Rabbi El’azar ben ‘Azaryah, Rabbi ‘Akiva, and Rabbi Tarfon. They were reclining at the table in Bnei Brak, and Continue Reading »
As the Torah tells it, the tablets that Moshe brought down from the mountain were unlike any other writing sample ever. They were “inscribed on both of their surfaces: they were inscribed on one side and on the other” (Exodus 32:15). Rashi, the great commentator from the 11th century, said that “both sides” doesn’t mean Continue Reading »
Beginning this week and continuing for several more, the Torah’s attention turns to the Mishkan. God commands Israel to build a sanctuary, the first major fundraising project in Israelite history. Several of the Mishkan’s items are to be built with gold and silver. If you wonder where the Israelites got those precious metals, recall that Continue Reading »
One of the most provocative teachings in all of rabbinic literature describes the conditions under which Israel received the Torah. The key word in that sentence is “under.” In our Torah portion, Yitro, we read of the preparations for Revelation, for experiencing God and receiving commandments. Moshe positions the people, the Torah tells us, “at Continue Reading »
As soon as the Israelites emerge from the miracle at the Sea of Reeds unscathed, they face an entirely new set of challenges. Firstly, they journey three days from a body of water unable to find potable water. The waters they do find are bitter–hence the place is called Marah. Next, they enter the Wilderness Continue Reading »
