There is quite a surprise in our parashat hashavua, called Pinkhas. Our ancient Israelite religious narrative presents us with what we presume to be a Patriarchal framework for understanding our lives. Certainly, the caricatures of traditional Judaism (and, sadly, often the reality) diminishes and even calumniates the strengths and characteristics of the feminine. This has ledContinue reading “Shabbat Pinkhas: Our People’s Feminine Side”
Monthly Archives: July 2016
Shabbat Balak: Not Just a Funny Story
This week the Torah abruptly turns away from stories of Israelite society in terrifying disarray to what seems at first glance to be an absurd parable: a frightened king, a greedy hired mercenary, and a talking ass – and none of them are Jewish. Perhaps this week might offer some comic relief? Let the cameraContinue reading “Shabbat Balak: Not Just a Funny Story”
Shabbat Hukkat: Don’t Be Angry
The center is having a hard time holding. Moshe Rabbenu, “our Rabbi [read: teacher] Moshe” has already withstood the upheaval of the Golden Calf incident, the Korakh rebellion, and the catastrophe of the scout’s report only last week, the aftermath of which saw the generation of the wilderness doomed to die before reaching the PromisedContinue reading “Shabbat Hukkat: Don’t Be Angry”
Shabbat Korakh: We Need Light Now
Things are going from bad to worse, worse that we thought they could get, in our parashat hashavua, called Korakh. Hundreds of Israelites, led by Korakh, rise up against the leadership. Hundreds of people die as a result, and – most horrifying – the situation at the end of the day is not fundamentally changed. We areContinue reading “Shabbat Korakh: We Need Light Now”
Shabbat Sh’lakh-L’kha: When the Safe Choice is a Dead End
This week in our parashah it all goes wrong, suddenly. Moses sends twelve scouts, each of them a leader of a tribe, to survey the land just ahead, the Land to which G*d promised to lead them. We are literally there already – until the Promised Land abruptly becomes a place to far to reachContinue reading “Shabbat Sh’lakh-L’kha: When the Safe Choice is a Dead End”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 