Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

The rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash were very sensitive readers of Torah.  After all, they studied these sacred words day and night, always seeking new interpretations, novel implications of our special love relationship with God.  In the process of their studies, they uncovered nuances and insights that can continue to guide us, their descendents, on a path of righteous and holy living. Read more...

This week’s Torah reading, Va’yikra, begins the third book of the Bible, Leviticus, which combines the details of the Jewish sacrificial rites with the code of Holiness. Having established the covenant and outlining the details for the construction of the Tabernacle in the book of Exodus, the Torah now turns our attention to the ways in which the Tabernacle is to be used for the ongoing interaction between God and humanity, introducing the sacrifices as specific “language” for communication, each one to express a different sentiment. Read more...

Until very recently, common knowledge maintained that Judaism prohibited works of art.  Read more...

Our age is one of hand wringing. We fear for the survival of the Jewish people and our ancient civilization, and establish funds and committees devoted to the noble work of continuity. We read article after article predicting the extinction of the American Jewish community, chastising us for our lethargy, our tedium, and our mediocrity. Plans to turn our people around—through funding trips to Israel, use of Eastern meditation technique, strict observance of Jewish law (or its elimination entirely)—all promise to save us from our greatest contemporary enemy: ourselves. Read more...

In every generation, some people are so certain that their view of what is right is absolutely right that they are ready not only to dedicate their own lives to their ideals, but they are also prepared to coerce others to follow in their footsteps. Not only religious leaders, but political activists of both the Left and the Right see their own viewpoint as objectively ordained and seem willing to banish those who dissent from their views beyond the pale of humanity itself. Read more...