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Are we pure or impure? April 13, 2024 The root of the Hebrew word Tazria is Zera – זרע meaning “seed”. Although Tazria has been translated as “she conceived”, it is better understood as “offspring or descendants but not necessarily as the literal seed of the male as theologians teach. […]
“Transforming the mundane into the extraordinary.” Our portion this week, Tzav, means “to order or command.” It would seem that the name challenges us to go beyond logic since it asks us to perform certain activities that a proud, apathetic, or defiant heart could not carry out. Let’s take a look. First, does it make […]
We are now beginning a new book of the Torah, Vayikra also known as Leviticus. It contains the instructions for the Levitical Priesthood and the various offerings. How can we relate to this book today? Here’s what I gleaned from just the first few verses. In verse 2, we read: “…adam mi yakriv יַקְרִיב mikem […]
Are we accountable to God for the gifts He has given to us? Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek…be stronger and be strengthened. Parashat Pikudei completes the book of Shemot, Exodus. It is always a good idea to look back to see how far we have come and what we have learned. My intention is not to delve […]
What Type of Person Am I? Everything that the Eternal has said, we will do, and we will listen! (Shemot 24:7). At first glance, it seems that the order of this crucial expression in Judaism “na’aseh venishma” goes against logic, since we would usually do it after we hear it, and not without knowing what […]
Truth or Consequences! Parashah Ki Tissa begins with the LORD telling Moses: ‘When you take a census of the children of Israel… every man shall give ‘kaper nafsho l’YHVH’– a ransom (literally a cover) for his soul to the LORD … so that there will be no plague among them…” I wondered about this plague. […]
Is our life all smoke and mirrors? This section of the Torah deals with the Mishkan, the Sanctuary in the desert that the Creator asked Moshe to build. Remember these portions are not chronological e.g., here Aaron, his four children and Nadav and Abihu offering stranger fire comes before their inauguration. As your rabbi, I […]
What drives the heart? In chapter 6:6-8 of Micah, the prophet asks a profound question: “With what shall I appear before the Lord, and bow down before the Most High God?” The question is, as a mere mortal what can I offer the Eternal? Doesn’t the verse in Tehillim, Psalms 146:6 say about the Eternal […]
“From the River to the Sea…” Our rabbi always said, “Don’t get caught up in the details when reading the Torah, but ask yourselves… “to whom was God speaking, when and where?” The Israelites had just been freed from years of slavery in Egypt, a nation with many gods, superstitions, idolatry, death cults, etc. It […]
If God is with us, who can be against us? In this portion of the Torah, Yitro (named after a Gentile), the Israelites received the Ten Sayings or Commandments. This is not only Israel’s constitution, it is also for the entire world. There is so much to learn from the revelation of the Bore Olam, […]
