I believed that the Soviet Union was dead and gone; I even thought that war between the nations of Europe was a thing of the past. I was certain that people carrying giant placards depicting the face of Stalin in Red Square during political rallies in the past twenty years were hopelessly anachronistic. I wasContinue reading “Shabbat hol hamo’ed Pesakh: What Does It Take To Make A Clean Break?”
Tag Archives: parashat hashavua
Shabbat HaGadol Akharei Mot: Death in Spring
Here on the cusp of the new agricultural year, in the full blown glory of spring, we think of new life and renewal. Our spring holy day festival, Pesakh, is first of all a time to celebrate the new wheat, the baby lambs, and of course the return of grasses and flowers with the lengtheningContinue reading “Shabbat HaGadol Akharei Mot: Death in Spring”
Shabbat Metzora: Take a Breath Before You Commit
Ever since just before Purim we’ve been encountering a series of special Shabbatot which are meant to get our attention and focus us upon the fact that Pesakh is coming. There is much to do to greet the Festival appropriately: house cleaning, Seder planning, tzedakah giving…. there are so many details and such a rushContinue reading “Shabbat Metzora: Take a Breath Before You Commit”
Shabbat Tazria 5774: Watch For Rot
Our parashat hashavua (“reading of the week”) is one of the more misunderstood of the entire Torah. It seems to be entirely too consumed with concern regarding the appearance of discolorations on a person’s skin or hair. The first verse of our reading this year, the third of the Triennial Cycle, begins: When a man orContinue reading “Shabbat Tazria 5774: Watch For Rot”
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 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 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 