rabbiariel

Shabbat BeHar-BeHukkotai: The Torah of Tokhekhah

COVIDלֹֽא־תִשְׂנָ֥א אֶת־אָחִ֖יךָ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ הוֹכֵ֤חַ תּוֹכִ֙יחַ֙ אֶת־עֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ וְלֹא־תִשָּׂ֥א עָלָ֖יו חֵֽטְא׃ You shall not hate your neighbor in your heart. Reprove your neighbor, but incur no guilt because of them. – VaYikra 19.17 On this Shabbat we come to the end of the book VaYikra, Leviticus, and we are confronted by a difficult section of the TorahContinue reading “Shabbat BeHar-BeHukkotai: The Torah of Tokhekhah”

Shabbat Emor: To Count and To Mourn

Our parashat hashavua this week is Emor, which contains an account of the mitzvah which is the practice of counting the Omer. וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמָּחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּהְיֶֽינָה׃ From the day on which you bring the omer [sheaf of elevation offering]—the day after the Shabbat—you shall count off sevenContinue reading “Shabbat Emor: To Count and To Mourn”

Shabbat Akharei Mot/Kedoshim: Plumbline Ethics

Some of us are lucky enough to call ourselves fortunate these days, if despite the pandemic we are feeling well and our greatest challenge is cabin fever. We know that so many are suffering, both within our community and beyond. How to respond? What can we do in these days to share whatever we areContinue reading “Shabbat Akharei Mot/Kedoshim: Plumbline Ethics”

Shabbat Tazria/Metzora: “The One Who is Ill Shall Be Separated from the Camp”

…and other surprisingly relevant aspects of ancient Jewish text in the days of COVID-19 In years past it has been tempting to dismiss this doubled parasha in VaYikra (Leviticus) as superstition at worst and outmoded at best. Because of the focus on skin disease, we laugh at “the dermatologists’ parsha” and wait for more upliftingContinue reading “Shabbat Tazria/Metzora: “The One Who is Ill Shall Be Separated from the Camp””

Shabbat Shemini: Teach Us To Count Our Days

למנות ימינו כן הודע ונביא לבב חכמה Limnot yameynu keyn hoda’ v’navi levav hokhmah “Teach us to count our days that we might acquire a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90.12 “What day is it?” This isolation we are practicing for the sake of public health, and the disruption of the routines that define the daysContinue reading “Shabbat Shemini: Teach Us To Count Our Days”

Because All Is One has been republished!

It should be very easily available now here: https://www.becauseallisone.com/ For all those who asked that I arrange for the republication, I thank you for your patience. Should you have reactions or questions based upon it, I look forward to reading them. You can contact me here at your convenience. May it be good learning! RabbiContinue reading “Because All Is One has been republished!”

On hiatus

This blog is on hiatus January through March 2020

Shabbat VaYera: Seeing Behind the Veil

Parashat VaYera begins and ends with ways of seeing the UnSeeable, that is, G*d. The Torah shows us that there are many ways to see. The first opens the parashah and names it: וירא אליו ה באלוני ממרא VaYera elav HaShem b’eylonei Mamre HaShem appeared to (literally, “was seen by”) Abraham at the oakContinue reading “Shabbat VaYera: Seeing Behind the Veil”

Shabbat Bereshit: the power of naming

This week marks the beginning, again; once again we turn to the opening pages of our Torah and read of the beginning. Except that we do not. The first words of our Torah are בראשית ברא אלהים Bereshit bara Elohim Which literally means “during the beginning, G*d created…” And what does that mean? Well, we alreadyContinue reading “Shabbat Bereshit: the power of naming”

Shabbat Shuvah: Return To Yourself

Shabbat Shuvah is so named because it falls on the Shabbat between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the time when we are urged to Shuvah, “return,” to our best selves. It is also the opening of the Haftarah, which is composed of excerpts of the greatest hits from Rosh HaShanah, Tashlikh, and Yom Kippur. ThereContinue reading “Shabbat Shuvah: Return To Yourself”