When we left Egypt there were many non-Jews who left with us. And by the time the Camp of the Israelites is described in the Book of Numbers – really “The Book of the Wilderness” – the erev rav, the… Read More »
Our parsha begins with instructions to the Kohanim, the priests. Moses tells Aaron that for loved ones the priests may become tamei (ritually disqualifying them to serve in the sanctuary) and that they may participate in burying deceased family members.… Read More »
Rabbi Saul Berman wrote about the radicalism of Judaism in the ancient world: “In the pagan world, holiness was an attribute of temple and priesthood. One of the great radical steps that the Torah took was to shift the concept… Read More »
The Torah requires the metzora — the one afflicted with a mysterious skin disease — with ritual isolation, to see a white-clad priest, and then a long ritual path of purification. What is the sin that so disfigures a person… Read More »
It is the Shabbat before the seder! It is time to infuse meaning into our Passover practices. Join me for Shabbat morning services where I will present a specially created text-study based teaching sermon called: Crumbs & Corruption: Let’s Get… Read More »
Parashat Vayikra We begin the Book of Leviticus this Shabbat, and many of us feel it. The prescriptions for animal offerings, the blood dashed on the altar, the careful choreography of priestly service — it is easy to feel like… Read More »
The sin of the Golden Calf was a profound moment of betrayal in the Jewish narrative, highlighting a breakdown in the relationship between the people and God. This moment of crisis is not merely an event but an invitation for… Read More »
Parashat Ki Tisa – Shabbat Parah The Golden Calf, the Mob, and the Sacred Balance: A Warning Across the Millennia I. A Wall That Belongs to All of Us Let me begin with a memory. It is the spring of… Read More »
Clear and Cloudy is Jewish Faith Parashat Tetzaveh opens and closes with two sacred acts, and at first glance they seem to be disconnected. Plus, we might say, that it is difficult to find meaning in the Torah portions that… Read More »
Our Homes – Reflections of Both the Tabernacle and the Temple (The Mishkan and the Mikdash) What does it mean to build a sanctuary? Parashat Terumah opens not with walls, but with furnishings — the Ark, the Table, the Menorah… Read More »