Israel Knohl – Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone

Shabbat Ki Tavo: You Need Ritual

וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ ה’ אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ When you come into the land that your God ‘ה is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it (Deut. 26.1) The start of this week’s parashah records a very early (as far as our evidence goes) exampleContinue reading “Shabbat Ki Tavo: You Need Ritual”

Shabbat Ki Tavo: What Kind of Jew Are You?

This week’s parashah begins with a rare example of actual prayer formula in ancient Israel. Most of the time, “prayer”, that is, seeking to communicate with G-d, was expressed in a non-verbal form, that of sacrifice. A close look at the book VaYikra (Leviticus) will demonstrate the truth my former teacher taught in his book TheContinue reading “Shabbat Ki Tavo: What Kind of Jew Are You?”