Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

Is Judaism a particularistic religion, concerned only with the well-being and sanctity of the Jewish People, or is it also one of the universalistic faiths, expressing a concern for all humanity in every region of the globe? To the enemies of our people, Judaism is portrayed as a narrow, legalistic and particularistic religion.  By focusing on the Chosen People -- defined as the Jews -- and their needs -- to the exclusion of everyone else's, Judaism seems to show an indifference to the rest of the world.  Read more...

One of the great debates within the environmental community is the proper human posture toward the preservation of diverse species.  On the one hand, there are those who argue that extinction is the normal method through which nature keeps itself trim.  Throughout the eons, a great many species have gone the way of the Dodo bird and the stegosaurus -- no longer able to compete successfully for a habitable niche in a difficult world.  Read more...

As we open to this week's Torah portion, we 'turn the pages' to a new book of the Torah, the book of Exodus. We begin re-reading the story of Moses and the journey of our ancestors from slavery to freedom. Yet, within the first chapter of Exodus are several verses about two women, Shifra and Puah, whose story leaves out more than is told and whose impact is often overlooked. Read more...

In the summer of 2009 I spent four weeks in 'vegan boot camp' to learn a new way of living. When asked what I do, I would say, 'I'm a professor of late modern Jewish philosophy'. I did my best to steer away from the words 'rabbi', 'mysticism' and 'kabbalah'. Usually once I answered the question in that manner, I would be nodded at, and the conversation would move on from there. 'My privacy spared one more day,' I would congratulate myself. Read more...

At the foot of a desert mountain, more than three thousand years ago, our People entered into an everlasting covenant. While Sinai smoked and flashed with lightening, God and Moses proclaimed laws to all the Israelites, who called back as one declaring "All that God commands, we will do." (Exodus 24:3). Our Sages teach that this moment was akin to a marriage ceremony, eternally binding God and the Jewish People in a partnership that encompasses all future generations. Read more...