The days grow fewer until we reach what our tradition calls The Great Day of Judgement. On this Motza’ey Shabbat, as the Shabbat concludes, the Ashkenazi community begins daily midnight prayers of Selikhot, asking for forgiveness. In these prayers we consider: how are we to be judged? in other words, how are we to best do G-d’sContinue reading “Selikhot meditation: justice is not enough”
Tag Archives: Torah
parashat Emor 5773, and 32nd Day of the Omer
This week’s parashat hashavua is called Emor, “speak”. As in, “G-d said to Moshe, speak to the children of Israel and say to them….” – a not-uncommon idea in the four books of the Torah in which Moshe is a primary figure. In this case, however, G-d is telling Moshe to speak to a particularContinue reading “parashat Emor 5773, and 32nd Day of the Omer”
The Meaning of Sacrifice
On this Shabbat we begin the Book VaYikra (in English, “Leviticus”, because the book is really an instruction manual for the Levites and Kohanim, priests). This book records for us the ancient ritual of sacrifices as they were offered to our G-d (other sacrifices offered in specifically different ways were offered to other gods). What are we, two thousand yearsContinue reading “The Meaning of Sacrifice”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 