Judaism is full of lofty ideals and ethical standards, but if you only know your religion in this way you are missing out on a layer of Jewishness which is much closer to home. (No, not the “cultural Judaism” layer of eating bagels….) It’s the “what do I do right now?” layer, what we mightContinue reading “Shabbat Ki Tetze: There Are No Small Details”
Tag Archives: parashat hashavua
Shabbat Shoftim: Who are You to Judge?
“Who am I to judge?” When did those words last come out of your mouth, or at least formulate in your mind? It’s a common way for us to dodge involvement in the world. It is, however, a stand which is not very Jewish. One of this week’s messages from our parashat hashavua, the TorahContinue reading “Shabbat Shoftim: Who are You to Judge?”
Shabbat Re’eh: Seeing and Being Seen
This week we read from parashat Re’eh. The parashah’s name translates to the imperative “see!” or “behold!”. We are urged to see that before us lies blessing and curse, and also (in a further development of the connotations of the verb) to “see”, and “understand”, that it is up to us to discern one from theContinue reading “Shabbat Re’eh: Seeing and Being Seen”
Shabbat Hazon: A Vision To Hold On To
This week we begin to read the final book of the Torah, called devarim, “words”. The entire book consists of Moshe’s parting words. The Israelites will soon cross the Jordan River, under the leadership of Joshua. Before the crossing, a moment of reflection: Moshe is reminding the Israelites of where they came from, and howContinue reading “Shabbat Hazon: A Vision To Hold On To”
Shabbat Masei: Ethical Cleansing
The parashah for this week offers a challenge to our interpretive skills and to our honesty. As we confront the first verses read in this second year of the Triennial Cycle, we read clear words which are incredibly problematic for anyone who holds up both the ideals of progressive, liberal ethics and our people’s understandingContinue reading “Shabbat Masei: Ethical Cleansing”
Shabbat Pinhas: Peace in the Midst of Violence?
This week’s parashah is startlingly appropriate to our current situation. We are all aghast at the violence that has broken out in Israel – although the fact that Israel remained relatively quiet as the region seethed struck many as a miracle that could not last – and our hearts are broken for the suffering andContinue reading “Shabbat Pinhas: Peace in the Midst of Violence?”
Shabbat Balak: Truth Also Comes From Darkness
This week’s parashat hashavua finds us in the Book of Numbers (BaMidbar, “in the wilderness”, is its Hebrew name) in chapter 23. We are offered a curious perspective in this parashah. There are a few places in the Torah in which a non-Israelites teaches the Israelites, but this is the only place in which anContinue reading “Shabbat Balak: Truth Also Comes From Darkness”
Shabbat Hukkat: Where Anger Will Get You
This week we read beginning from Numbers 20 verse 7, in parashat Hukkat, as we continue in this second year of our Triennial Cycle to start not at the beginning of each parashah, but at the beginning of the middle third of it. We begin with a simple story, nothing out of the ordinary: the IsraelitesContinue reading “Shabbat Hukkat: Where Anger Will Get You”
Shabbat BeHa’alot’kha: G-d is my GPS
In this third parashah of the Book BaMidbar, we are finally on the move; after over a year camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai, after receiving the Torah, constructing the Mishkan, organizing the priestly sacrificial system, and learning a lot of halakhah on how to maintain the appropriate atmosphere for the Mishkan in ourContinue reading “Shabbat BeHa’alot’kha: G-d is my GPS”
Shabbat Naso: G-d is in the Annoying Details Too
This week the parashat hashavua (“text of the week”) is called Naso, a word related to the Hebrew idiom for counting. It literally means “lift up the head”, and underscores the importance of truly seeing each person whom one is counting. This is different from the Western idea of “counting heads”, which only tells you howContinue reading “Shabbat Naso: G-d is in the Annoying Details Too”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 