Rabbi Rachel Barenblat: Yom HaShoah
Rabbi Barenblat blogs about the beginning of the Holocaust. Please follow the link below to read the full article:
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z/l: Shemini Food for thought
The parashah begins with the induction of the Kohanim, immediately followed by the dietary laws. Rabbi Sacks considers the logic of this placement. He quotes R. Elie Munk, who reiterated that the Sanctuary was a human counterpart of the cosmos. R. Munk then continues with a passage from the Creation narrative, wherein the first commandment for humans was a dietary law.
Rabbi Rachel Barenblat: This Year What does it mean to celebrate freedom?
What does it mean this year to celebrate freedom?
What does it mean this year to claim we are free?
Are we free to speak – or only if we hold the “right” opinions?
Are we free to be who we are – or only if we fit a certain mold?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z/l: The Necessity of Asking Questions
In Judaism, we believe that to defend a civilization you need education. Since freedom is lost when it is taken for granted, children must ask questions: “What does this ceremony mean to you?” “What is the meaning of the laws and decrees that God has commanded us?” This custom is actually unnatural compared to other cultures. Elsewhere, the parent or teacher is expected to guide and instruct. In Judaism, the children are obligated to ask and learn
Luciana Pajecki Lederman: Tzav Prayer as Resonance
Ms. Lederman references sociologist Harmut Rosa, who stated that rituals have 2 purposes: to enable us to both effect and be affected by God and the world around us. She cites Tractate Brachot (26b) in addressing the 2 paradigms of the Amidah: the affecting side wherein we reach out towards God, and the opposite side of being affected, wherein the prayers correspond to daily offerings at the Temple.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z/l: Tzav The Thanksgiving Offering
The thanksgiving offering survives in Rabbinic Judaism in the birkat Hagomel, for “one who has survived a hazardous situation.” Rabbi Sacks considers the meaning of a hazardous situation: Psalm 107 describes crossing the sea, crossing a desert, recovery from serious illness, and release of captivity. However, there are many other situations today that merit this blessing. He cites sociologist Peter Berger, who described “signals of transcendence” as the phenomena that point to “something beyond” – the capacity to find meaning in the depths of suffering, and the instinctive desire to give thanks.
Professor Alan Cooper: Vayikra Who Is Liable?
Professor Cooper addresses the ambiguity of how to distinguish the “sin” and “guilt” offerings. He references Professor Milgrom’s emphasis on the psychological aspect of feelings of guilt that motivate sacrifice. He proposed “reparation offering” as a better description, whereas Professor Cooper suggests “liability offering”.
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila: Sephardic Torah from the Holy Land
Rabbi Uziel’s Mah Nishtanah
At the Passover Seder, unlike all other nights, we ask what makes being Jewish so special. All of the symbols of the Seder direct us to the larger issue of what it means to be a Jew, rather than as individual concepts. This is because Passover represents the birth of Judaism.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z/l: Vayikra Why Do We Sacrifice?
Rabbi Sacks cites Lev 1:2 – the verse is translated “when one of you offers a sacrifice”. Literally, it would read “when one offers a sacrifice of you”. According to Rabbi Shneur Zalman, when we sacrifice, we offer ourselves; the physical form of the sacrifice is only the external manifestation of an inner act. In other words, ‘we give God something of ourselves’.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z/l: Pekudei Encampments & Journeys
Rabbi Sacks teaches that the creation of the Sanctuary represents a human parallel to the Creation of the universe. The Torah devotes more detail to the construction of the Sanctuary than to anything else, implying that the Israelites were obeying God’s instructions instead of making their own. “The Holy” is where we meet God on His terms, not on our own.