Rabbi Nevins comments on the concept of hereditary holiness – it conflicts with our egalitarian principles. Yet, the mystical ritual of the priestly blessing is something that continues to be highly valued. He continues to discuss the merits, or lack thereof, of the person who today holds the heritage of the kohanim; the Tanakh is clear about the requirement for the kohanim to be honorable in order to fulfill their office.
DetailsRabbi Barenblat relates the census in this week’s parashah, which stipulates that each person matters. She ties the theme to the loss of life from recent anti-Semitic attacks, as well as the violence from the war in Gaza. She observes that, according to the Torah, the death of any human being is the destruction of an entire world.
DetailsThe role of the Nazirite was to essentially renounce desire; the text is unclear as to why someone would make this choice. The Torah has mixed views on this, whether it is a positive or negative practice. Maimonides even contradicts himself. Rabbi Sacks states that according to Maimonides, there are actually 2 models of a virtuous life, instead of just 1. They result from 2 ways of understanding the meaning of a moral life.
DetailsRabbi Cohen writes of finding meaning in every single life, especially during times of violence. Just as the absence of a single letter renders the Sefer Torah unfit for use, the absence of one single person due to violence prevents us from fulfilling our divine mission. The counting of individuals in the Torah is different from times when people were counted as commodities, or for other nefarious purposes, such as by the Nazis. In Bemidbar, it is a way that God expresses God’s love for Israel.
DetailsRabbi Bouskila writes of Rev Karo and Rav Alkabetz, who heard the voice of the Shekhina on Erev Shavuot, and wrote the Maggid Mesharim. The Maggid Mesharim covered the Creation of the World, the Revelation on Mt. Sinai, and the account of Ezra Nehemia’s return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple: “from exile to redemption”.
DetailsThe Torah reads like a narrative of events as they occurred, interspersed with commandments: this is what happened, these are the rules. But it is really about truths that emerge through time. Ancient Israel found truth in history, events, and what God told us to learn from them, unlike the ancient Greeks, who sought truth by contemplating nature and reason.
DetailsRabbi Sacks comments on the nature of the economy: “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” This phenomenon is the object of the legislation in parashat Behar. The Sabbatical and Jubilee years have the specific purpose of redistributing assets among the population. At the heart of the Tanakh, and in the words of the prophets, each person should be able to establish a basis of economic independence.
DetailsRabbi Sacks comments on the nature of the economy: “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” This phenomenon is the object of the legislation in parashat Behar. The Sabbatical and Jubilee years have the specific purpose of redistributing assets among the population. At the heart of the Tanakh, and in the words of the prophets, each person should be able to establish a basis of economic independence
DetailsRabbi Gold questions the admonition in Leviticus: “If you follow all these commandments…you will be rewarded. If you do not, you will pay the price…”. This contrasts with a reality where good people suffer and others who act immorally do not suffer. She focuses on the spiritual challenge: it is our inner state of consciousness, rather than outer circumstances, that determines whether our life is Heaven or Hell.” Please follow the link below to read the full article:
DetailsRabbi Tuchman addresses the challenges with Leviticus 21 from the perspective of a blind rabbi. She states that society tends to claim that individuals with disabilities are no longer impacted by these passages because we have evolved. Yet we have not really evolved. Such individuals are still marginalized. She questions: “are we to assume that a supposed broken body equals a broken person?
DetailsThe laws regarding the condition of tamei are complex and challenging to understand. Rabbi Sacks quotes Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai: “It is not that death defies or the waters purity. Rather, God say, I have ordained a statue and issue a decree and you have no permission to transgress it.” Even the sages didn’t understand the rules. The logic is in the concept of the holy. God is beyond time and space, yet God created them and the physical entities that occupy them.
DetailsRabbi Barenblat quotes the beginning of the parashah, “y’all shall be holy, for I your God am holy”…emphasizing the plural. In other words, to be holy is for the society, not the individual. In a righteous society, we must ensure justice.
DetailsRabbi Kaplan addresses the meaning of being holy: the text elaborates on forbidden sexual relations and sinful thoughts, many of which emphasize the male. Yet, human interactions involve multiple parties. How can we address the ancient laws regarding sexual ethics in light of contemporary values?
DetailsRabbi Sacks considers the apparent disconnect between the different laws in Leviticus 19 – in fact, they are about limits, order, and boundaries. Reality has a structure whose integrity must be honored. When the order is violated, then chaos results.
DetailsRabbi Barenblat writes that tum’ah means having a different spiritual frequency, rather than “unclean” vs “clean”. She cites the Talmudic teaching that in public, people should cry out “tamei, tamei”, which seems the be shaming, yet the intention is not to shame to afflicted person. Rather, it should evoke in us compassion for our fellow community members, and lead us to take helpful action.
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