Here comes Purim, the better to liven up the book of Leviticus! Our parashah for this week is Tzav, “command”, in the imperative form of the word, no less. And yet Torah comes first; Purim begins at the close of Shabbat, tomorrow. This Shabbat is called Shabbat Zakhor; it always precedes Purim (this yearContinue reading “Shabbat Zakhor and Purim 5774: Laugh It Off”
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Shabbat Shekalim: Tax Time in Ancient Israel
This Shabbat, on which we are reading Pekudei as the parashat hashavua, is also known as Shabbat Shekalim. Yes, the Shabbat of the Shekels. This special Shabbat is not necessarily tied to the parashah called Pekudei, but it’s not entirely inappropriate, since this last reading in Exodus consists of an audit of the records (in Hebrew,Continue reading “Shabbat Shekalim: Tax Time in Ancient Israel”
Shabbat VaYakhel: Kehillah
The name of this week’s parashah is VaYakhel, from the word kahal, or kehillah – “gathering”. The people are gathering for the purpose of building the Mishkan, the sacred space that will be dedicated to their longing to feel G-d’s presence. They are gathered together not as the am, the people, and not as theContinue reading “Shabbat VaYakhel: Kehillah”
Shabbat Ki Tisa: Those Who Stand And Wait
The middle third of the parashah on this Shabbat, Ki Tisa, begins with Moshe on Mt Sinai receiving the Word of G-d in the form of “tablets of testimony written with the finger of G-d.” (Exodus 31.18) At the same time the Israelites, who are waiting below in the valley, become restive. What’s taking soContinue reading “Shabbat Ki Tisa: Those Who Stand And Wait”
Shabbat Tetzaveh: It’ll Cost You
Our parashat hashavua (the parashah, “reading” or “portion” for this shavua, “week”; notice that the h changes to a t when parashah is modified by the specific week’s reading) is Tetzaveh, “[you shall] command”. The parashah begins with a grammatical anomaly noted by the famous Torah teacher Nehama Lebowitz. Usually a parashah begins with the familiar phrase SpeakContinue reading “Shabbat Tetzaveh: It’ll Cost You”
Shabbat Terumah: In The Details
“This too is Torah, and I need to learn it.” Two millennia ago the renowned sage Rabbi Akiba asserted that Torah is not only that which is written on the parchment of the sefer Torah, the Scroll of Direction (the Hebrew verb root h.r.h means “teaching”, and also “aiming” as well as “indicating direction”). TorahContinue reading “Shabbat Terumah: In The Details”
Shabbat Mishpatim: Equality Before the Law – For All of Us
Last week in parashat Yitro we stood together at Sinai, and entered into the covenant with our G-d as a community, all equally necessary, equally precious. The text itself expresses this in unspecific language: And Moses brought forth the people [et ha’am] out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether partContinue reading “Shabbat Mishpatim: Equality Before the Law – For All of Us”
Shabbat Yitro: What does the Voice of G-d Sound Like?
This week parashat Yitro calls us to stand once again at the foot of a mountain as a people, brought together not by lines of descent but by a willingness to go forward, to cross over, to live with uncertainty in the hope of reaching a vision. One of the most compelling uncertainties of Jewish religious tradition centers onContinue reading “Shabbat Yitro: What does the Voice of G-d Sound Like?”
Shabbat BeShalakh: What Do You See in the Sea?
This week, the Shabbat of the parashah BeShalakh, is also called Shabbat Shirah, the “Shabbat of the Song”, in honor of the fact that on this week we read the Song of the Sea in the scroll. The Israelites have crossed over through the Sea on dry ground, and the Egyptians who pursued them have drownedContinue reading “Shabbat BeShalakh: What Do You See in the Sea?”
Shabbat Bo: When Will Death Come?
Have you seen the television commercial for heart health that begins with a person very matter-of-factly receiving a note that says “your heart attack is coming tomorrow.” As we know, says the voice-over, such events happen without any warning. If you could know when a life-threatening event would happen, you could prepare for it, dodgeContinue reading “Shabbat Bo: When Will Death Come?”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 