Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

Each Sunday morning, some TV preachers hold up Bibles in their hands and presume that ultimate authority can be lifted straight out of that book.  They argue that the Bible says it, so that settles it, as though the presence of the book renders human input unnecessary.  Many Jews have adopted that same approach, insisting that “Torah” Judaism is one in which the Torah has the final word—specifically that the p’shat (contextual meaning) is final.  Thus, anyone who acts against the p'shat of the Torah is violating the will of God, and thereby going against the teachings of Juda Read more...

Last week, the Torah recounted the grisly story of the sudden death of Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu.  It seems that the consecration of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) had barely been completed when these two kohanim decided to violate the established rules for the service of God and instead to willfully impose their own offering and their own mode of offering it.  In response to their “alien fire”, God engulfs the two men in a fire from heaven, instantly striking both down. Read more...

Our leaders often have a sense of their own dignity and self-worth that is far removed from the estimation of the common folk. Periodically, in the United States, we endure the eruption of this dichotomy as legislators try to justify a wide range of privileges and benefits that the rest of us--with much smaller incomes--don't enjoy. Writing checks when they don't have any money, free health club membership, free mailings, cheap haircuts, and a slew of other privileges make them look more like royalty than like elected representatives of the people. Read more...

Our leaders often have a sense of their own dignity and self-worth that is far removed from the estimation of the common folk. Periodically, in the United States, we endure the eruption of this dichotomy as legislators try to justify a wide range of privileges and benefits that the rest of us--with much smaller incomes--don't enjoy. Writing checks when they don't have any money, free health club membership, free mailings, cheap haircuts, and a slew of other privileges make them look more like royalty than like elected representatives of the people. Read more...

We live in an age of vigorous political debate, as liberals and conservatives present their views of the world and their prescriptions for how to redress our problems in books, articles, and speeches all over the country. With thoughtful and enthusiastic partisans on both sides, it just may be the first time in recent history in which Americans are actually taking political thought seriously. Perhaps because the stakes are so high, perhaps because there is no real consensus, how we understand the issues confronting us has important ramifications for the future we leave to our children. Read more...