לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה. It is not up to you to finish the work – yet neither are you free to give up. (Pirke Avot 2.26) Our parashat hashavua might seem to be a boring, overly detailed account of every little detail that went into the actual construction ofContinue reading “Shabbat VaYak’hel/Parah: Every Little Bit”
Tag Archives: Torah
Shabbat Zakhor: What are we supposed to remember? to forget?
What are we supposed to remember to forget? Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt— how, undeterred by fear of G!d, they surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. Therefore…you shall blot out the memory ofContinue reading “Shabbat Zakhor: What are we supposed to remember? to forget?”
Shabbat Terumah: The Gift of Kindness
אֵין צְדָקָה מִשְׁתַּלֶּמֶת אֶלָּא לְפִי חֶסֶד שֶׁבָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״זִרְעוּ לָכֶם לִצְדָקָה וְקִצְרוּ לְפִי חֶסֶד״ The extent to which the tzedakah you do takes root depends entirely upon the extent of the kindness in it, for it is said, “Sow to yourselves according to tzedakah, but reap according to the kindness.” – BT Sukkah 49b ThisContinue reading “Shabbat Terumah: The Gift of Kindness”
Shabbat Mishpatim: Narrow Bridge
וְדַע, שֶׁהָאָדָם צָרִיךְ לַעֲבֹר עַל גֶּשֶׁר צַר מְאֹד מְאֹד, וְהַכְּלָל וְהָעִקָּר – שֶׁלֹּא יִתְפַּחֵד כְּלָל Know that a person needs to cross a very very narrow bridge, and the rule, the essence, is to not give in to fear at all. Rebbe Nahman of Bratslav, Likkutei Mohoran II.48 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ אֶל־הָעָ֗ם לֹ֤א תֽוּכְלוּ֙ לַעֲבֹ֣ד אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔הContinue reading “Shabbat Mishpatim: Narrow Bridge”
Shabbat Yitro: Silence
The Still, Small Voice This week our parashat hashavua narrates a – literally – peak moment in the Israelite story: the revelation at Mt Sinai. It’s a moment that our ancestors assumed was full of intensity and the resultant stress. One midrash goes so far as to aver that our ancestors died when they heardContinue reading “Shabbat Yitro: Silence”
Shabbat Bo: Do Something
וְ֠אַתָּ֠ה אַל־תִּירָ֞א עַבְדִּ֤י יַֽעֲקֹב֙ וְאַל־תֵּחַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כִּ֠י הִנְנִ֤י מוֹשִֽׁעֲךָ֙ מֵרָח֔וֹק וְאֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֖ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ שִׁבְיָ֑ם וְשָׁ֧ב יַעֲק֛וֹב וְשָׁקַ֥ט וְשַׁאֲנַ֖ן וְאֵ֥ין מַחֲרִֽיד׃ But you, have no fear, My servant Jacob, Be not dismayed, O Israel! I will deliver you from far away, your folk from their land of captivity; Jacob again shall have calm and quiet, with noneContinue reading “Shabbat Bo: Do Something”
Shabbat VaYekhi: Lying for the sake of Heaven
תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל גדול שלום שאפי’ הקב”ה שינה בו שנאמר (בראשית יח, יב) ותצחק שרה בקרבה וגו’ (בראשית יח, יב) ואדוני זקן וכתיב (בראשית יח, יג) ויאמר ה’ אל אברהם וגו’ ואני זקנתי It was taught in the house of R. Yishmael: “Peace is so great that even God lies for its sake.” SarahContinue reading “Shabbat VaYekhi: Lying for the sake of Heaven”
Shabbat Hayye Sarah: The Opposite of Despair
If you have been watching the news with anything like the frequency of the average person in the U.S. over the past few weeks, you may rightly be feeling overwhelmed. The urge to despair is strong for those of us who believe that the most recent election results are catastrophic for human rights, civil rights,Continue reading “Shabbat Hayye Sarah: The Opposite of Despair”
Shabbat VaYera: Apocalypse Now
apokalysis, the Greek word for “revelation”, means not “ending” but “unveiling”…not “closure” but “disclosure” – that is, opening. A chance to open our eyes? But to what? -Ayana Mathis, “Imprinted by Belief: Apocalypse” NYTimes book review April 21 2024 Only four weeks ago we began again to immerse ourselves in the endless sea of TorahContinue reading “Shabbat VaYera: Apocalypse Now”
Shabbat Bereshit: Beginning Again, With You
The Thing Is To love life, to love it even when you have no stomach for it and everything you’ve held dear crumbles like burnt paper in your hands, your throat filled with the silt of it. When grief sits with you, its tropical heat thickening the air, heavy as water more fit for gillsContinue reading “Shabbat Bereshit: Beginning Again, With You”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 