This Shabbat, on which we read parashat Metzora, is called the Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Shabbat, because this year it is the last Shabbat before Pesakh. There are several possible reasons why it got the moniker. One is that Jews spent more time than usual in the shul getting a refresher on all things Pesakh, especially theContinue reading “Shabbat haGadol: What’s So Great About It?”
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Shabbat HaHodesh: The First Month For You
“This month shall be for you the first of months”. This is the way the special Torah reading for this Shabbat begins. With Rosh Hodesh (“the head of the month”) tomorrow begins the first Jewish month, Nisan. If so, why is it that, even though the Torah clearly indicates that the High Holy Days are observedContinue reading “Shabbat HaHodesh: The First Month For You”
Shabbat Parah: This Calf Makes Sense, This Cow Does Not
This Shabbat is called Shemini, “eighth”, because the parashah begins with an account of the eighth and final day of the ritual of ordination into the priesthood for the very first High Priest, Aaron, and his sons, who were now his assistants. For seven days they have carried out a precise order of sacrifices andContinue reading “Shabbat Parah: This Calf Makes Sense, This Cow Does Not”
Shabbat Tzav: The Boss Of Me
You know what Reform Jews call it? The Ten Suggestions. That joke lies at the heart of a quandary that all Liberal, Progressive, Modern and Post-Modern Jews share, including those of us who call ourselves Independent: Heteronomy vs. Autonomy. Or, in other words, obedience to something outside myself, vs. “you ain’t the boss of me”. Heteronomy,Continue reading “Shabbat Tzav: The Boss Of Me”
Shabbat Zakhor: Remember? then Do Something
This Shabbat, on which we read the first words of the book VaYikra, called Leviticus, is also called Zakhor, “remember”. For Jews, to remember is to do. This assumption – that the mental act prompts a physical one – is encoded in the ancient Hebrew: וַיְהִי בַיָּמִים הָרַבִּים הָהֵם, וַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם, וַיֵּאָנְחוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן-הָעֲבֹדָה, וַיִּזְעָקוּ;Continue reading “Shabbat Zakhor: Remember? then Do Something”
Shabbat Pekudey: Get Over Yourself and Go Learn
Our parashat hashavua this week, Pekudey, could be known as “the Accountants’ Parashah”. Pekudey means “records”, and our text begins with אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת, אֲשֶׁר פֻּקַּד עַל-פִּי מֹשֶׁה: עֲבֹדַת, הַלְוִיִּם, בְּיַד אִיתָמָר, בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן These are the accounts of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony, as they were rendered under Moses’s supervision: the work done by the Levites, under Itamar, son of AaronContinue reading “Shabbat Pekudey: Get Over Yourself and Go Learn”
Shabbat Shekalim: the power of a half-shekel
As of our hearing the haftarah chanted on Shabbat tomorrow, we begin the formal countdown to Pesakh. Yes, we have not celebrated Purim yet; but Purim, as much fun as it can be, is a minor holiday, and we are beginning to prepare for the most important Festival of the year. Pesakh, the commemoration ofContinue reading “Shabbat Shekalim: the power of a half-shekel”
Shabbat Ki Tisa: You, Too, Belong to Shabbat
This parashat hashavua is famous for a terrible breach in the relationship between G-d and the People Israel. That golden calf tends to overshadow the rest of the parashah even for those of us on the Triennial Cycle, who only read that specific passage once in three years! This year we read the first thirdContinue reading “Shabbat Ki Tisa: You, Too, Belong to Shabbat”
Shabbat Tetzaveh: The Gold and the Wood
This week’s parashah, called Tetzaveh, describes the blueprint for the sacred space that the Israelites are commanded to create so that the Presence of G-d might be immanent in their midst. For the ancient Israelites, there is much excitement in defining and beautifying every little detail of this special place. And hiddur mitzvah, the urgeContinue reading “Shabbat Tetzaveh: The Gold and the Wood”
Shabbat Terumah: Keep the Fire Burning
In parashat Terumah we read of the ner tamid. You have perhaps noticed this light, since its direct descendant brings illumination in every shul in the world, usually somewhere near the Ark. It is often referred to as the “Eternal Light”. But as we look at the verse that presents it, we see something aContinue reading “Shabbat Terumah: Keep the Fire Burning”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 