Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

If you tell a child, "don't move an inch," what do they do? They move, an inch. Why? Because they know you don't literally mean, "an inch" and, most children enjoy proving you wrong! Jewish tradition rarely suffices itself with literal reading. Even those with distaste for more mystical, esoteric readings of the Torah understand that the literal understanding of a verse is rarely its simple, plain (p'shat) meaning. Read more...

In a world where we witness the suffering and malady of so many diseases, this week's double Torah portion of Tazria-Metzora leaves us wondering. With its focus on priestly ritual, the sacrifices and purity laws, the entire book of Leviticus is hard enough; yet, this week's topics of skin ailments and bodily emissions raises eyebrows and begs questions. From leprosy or other skin lesions to moldy houses to bodily emissions, the prescriptions for healing were similar. Read more...

I've been thinking a lot recently about the number eight. Like many of you, I just completed eight days without eating anything leavened. But, technically, I did not celebrate eight days of Passover. Rather, because I live outside of the Land of Israel, I celebrated the seventh day of Passover twice, just to be sure I was doing so on the right day. In this, Passover is exactly parallel to Sukkot, which occurs at the other pole of the year, six months apart. Read more...

Going to the market today a perilous adventure? While I once trusted a standby shopping list, including apples, bananas, milk, pasta, veggies, etc., now, every trip to the market results in distraction and in total sensory overload - head spinning, knees giving way, colors subtly blending together, sounds vibrating in your head. Too many choices! Read more...

This week is called "Shabbat Hagadol," "the great Sabbath." Some attribute the name to a custom of having the rabbi teach a long lesson on this Shabbat before Passover on the intricacies of the laws of Passover so that lay Jews would be reminded of the rules that they had not needed to know since a year ago. For my wife, this would be much too late, because she begins preparing the house for Pesah right after Purim! Read more...