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This week’s portion Emor, which means “to speak,” contains the following topics: First, the regulations governing the life and offerings of the cohanim; second, the Moedim, God’s Appointed Times in the Jewish calendar – Shabbat, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot; third, the ordinance regarding olive oil for lighting the menorah and the […]
Is there a Great Architect? Parashat Kedoshim begins in Vayikra 19:1-2: “יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the entire Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy (kadosh), for I, your GOD יהוה, am holy.” Another way of saying this is: “Tell all the Israelites that they are to be a people […]
Is Our Morality Consistent with the Torah? This parashah Achare Mot begins in chapters 16 and 17 with the regulations on Yom Kippur for the Cohanim. It is to serve as a reminder to us of the death of the two sons of Aaron and as a warning about how important it is to follow […]
“Let my people go” This very special Shabbat falls in the middle of Pesach when we celebrate and commemorate the Eternal saving us from slavery in Egypt. Many of our sages call it the “festival of freedom” because it represents a “leap” from being slaves to being free. It is a moment when we rose […]
Am I as proud as Pharaoh or as humble as Moses? April 20, 2024 Shabbat Hagadol Leviticus 14: 34 – 35 says, “When you come to the land of Canaan, which I give to you as a possession and I put the disease of tzaraat in a house in the land you […]
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 […]
