The Exodus narrative has been used in many social or political arenas, sometimes in a negative manner. Michael Walzer writes about how it was used in the Civil Rights Movement, and “misused” during the time of the French Revolution.
DetailsRabbi Plevan questions the joy of Passover, of celebrating our liberation, at a time of turmoil and ongoing violence. He suggests that we consider what it is that makes a seder a meaningful and spiritual event. He cites Martin Buber, show said that as Jews, our very community is based on common memory, that connections generations. The transference of memory involves both continuity and change
DetailsRabbi Plevan questions how we should celebrate an ancient holiday of redemption, while acknowledging pain and suffering in the present time. He cites Martin Buber, who wrote that the handing down of memory from generation to generation involves both continuity and change. Judith Plaskow wrote that memory shapes communal identity as Jews, so that we integrate our own understanding of them into the way we recount them.
DetailsWhy did God choose sacrifice as a means to an end? Rabbi Sacks cites Rabbi Joseph Albo, who raised 2 other questions: Why did God permit human beings to eat meat after the Flood, and what was wrong with Cain’s offering of “fruits of the soil”? Perhaps animal sacrifice was allowed because the world was filled with violence.
DetailsRachel Ain asks about whether God has ever called out to one of us, and what transpired in the interaction that was so critical. Vayikra focuses on ritual sacrifices, that were established to enable the people to connect directly with God. Yet, what happens in the aftermath of the destruction of the Second Temple? She cites a midrash, wherein Abraham asks the same question?
DetailsRabbi Sacks comments on the apparent disconnect between the traditional name Vayikra, and the subject of the book. He argues that there is a deep connection. In fact, all of God’s communications to Moses begin with a call, keri’ah, unlike Bilaam, to whom God “appeared”.
DetailsRabbi Diamond writes that rituals of closure, common in both secular and religious settings, relate to the past and to the future, creating a space in which one begins anew. When we finish a book of the Torah, we conclude with a ritual chanting of hazak hazak. This is appropriate for the completion of Shemot, which ends on a high note.
DetailsSam Shonkoff writes about the phrase bitul Torah – cancellation of Torah; this refers to the time one spends away from study, dealing with chol, or profane (secular) issues. The concept suggests that religious life only occur with the framework of ritual. Yet, spiritual life is actually continuous; what one does during the week is as important as what one does during religious rituals.
DetailsRabbi Sacks writes about the different words for community: edah – people who have a strong sense of collective identity; tzibbur – members have nothing in common but happen to find themselves to gather; kehillah – members gather together for a collective undertaking. It is the latter type of community that can be dangerous; a rabble or a crowd. This is what Moses sees when he descends the mountain.
DetailsRabbi Kamenetzky considers the meaning of the clothes or badges that we wear. Despite the detailed instructions regarding the construction of the priestly garments, the purpose of the garments is fundamental.
DetailsRabbi Sacks considers the explanation for why Moses is not represented in this parashah. Rather than emphasize the absence, he observes that Tetzaveh focuses on the other presence that had a decisive influence on Judaism and Jewish history; namely, the Kohen. The priests were quieter than the prophets, yet they sustained Israel as a holy nation just as much.
DetailsDr. Rothberg observes that the Zohar sees deep meaning in the minute details of the construction of the Mishkan, focusing on the combination of multiplicity and unity: one mishkan with a myriad of curtains, boards, sockets, loops, etc. It parallels the human body – also a complex structure of many parts.
DetailsRabbi Durham-Kaplan considers the implications behind the Torah’s reiteration of the construction of the mishkan three times. The repetition reminds us that the mishkan is like a synagogue in that it means different things to different people
DetailsThe Israelites’ creation of the Mishkan parallels God’s creation of the universe. The common terminology – make, see, complete, bless, sanctify, work, behold – appear in both narratives, implying that the Mishkan held a similar meaning to the Israelites that the creation of the world held for God.
DetailsProfessor Tucker addresses the challenge of laws that appear to be less uplifting than others, such as laws about a father selling his daughter into servitude, when it is permissible to beat a slave, and so forth. He refers to David Hartman z/l, who wrote that “Halacha should be engaged as an open-ended educational framework rather than a binding normative one”.
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