Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

As we enter this week’s Torah reading, we encounter what scholars consider to be one of the oldest sections of the Bible and what is at the core of what it means to be Jewish – the holiness code.  Kedoshim tihyu – says the Torah: “You will be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."  A remarkable invitation to the world of Jewish spirituality - one that captures the imagination of most rabbinic commentators – the Torah lists the many ways to fulfill this commandment that spans across a multitude of categories: ritual, warning against all types of theft, extortion, and business dece Read more...

There is an image of the modern Passover Seder that has always felt a bit peculiar to me. As each person at the table is about to drink from their first cup (out of four) of wine or grape juice, a mass leaning to the left takes place. If you were to look at the scene from above the image might be one of dominoes that began to fall, but were suspended between the horizontal and vertical. Read more...

A remarkable thing seems to happen in this week's Torah portion, Parashat Metzora - houses take on characteristics of people. Read more...

Sometimes we see it coming, and sometimes it catches us by surprise. Over the course of any given year we somehow manage to balance family obligations, work responsibilities, tending to our physical spaces, and, if we are lucky, we give ourselves a little attention as well. Still, there comes a point (or many points) in most people's yearly cycle when the sheer amount of work and responsibilities accumulate and overwhelm us to the point of exhaustion. Read more...

This week, we celebrate the holiday of Purim.  A time of prizes, noisemakers, costumes and treats, Purim invites us to celebrate the absurd and laugh at ourselves.  As we read the story from the Purim Megillah (scroll), we drown out the name of Haman, the evil man of Sushan who sought to destroy the Jewish people.  Dressing in costume, eating the three cornered hamentaschen cookies, making noise, and celebrating beyond comprehension all draw our attention to the fun and frivolity of the day.  And, of all of our holidays, it is about Purim that the Midrash on the book of Read more...