Weekly Torah Reading, Shemini, March 30, 2019

Our Religious Leaders   Why were Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu, struck dead in the desert tabernacle (mishkan)? Everything was all set for the inauguration of regular sacrificial worship in the mishkan, and then this tragedy—why?   The Torah …

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The Crucial Vav; Some Thoughts about Purim

Third-Wave Feminists, Opponents of the Death Penalty, the “Ban Sugar in Schools” Movement, Esperantists, Religious Inclusivists and Other Internationalists of Various Allegiances—poor old Purim has a pack of enemies gunning for her in this holy Jewish year of 5779. And …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Shabbat Zakhor, March 14, 2019

Remember to Forget?   The Shabbat just preceding Purim is called “Shabbat Zakhor” because the Torah reading on that day ends with the commandment of Deut 25:17-19:   Remember (Zakhor) what Amalek did to you on your way out of …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Pekudei, March 9, 2019

Why Keep Repeating? A short comment on a short Torah reading, Pekudei: In general, rabbinic interpreters (and some of their predecessors) shied away from recognizing any cases of repetition in the biblical text. “Every word counts” meant that no verse, …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Vayyakhel, March 2, 2019

Mirrors and Their Meaning   This week’s reading recounts in detail how the Israelites carried out God’s commandment to build a tabernacle (mishkan)—the moveable sanctuary that would serve as a kind of temple during their wanderings in the wilderness. The …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Ki Tissa February 23, 2019

Why Aaron Took the Blame Moses was on Mt. Sinai for forty days and forty nights, during which time God revealed to him the various laws and regulations to be included in the Torah. But as this period dragged on …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Tetsavveh, February 16, 2019

Adam Had No Clothes This week’s Torah reading describes the special garments to be worn by the kohanim (priests) in the Temple. Those garments were no minor detail. In ancient Israel, clothes made the kohen; kohanim couldn’t serve in the …

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Weekly Torah Reading, Terumah, March 4, 2017

The Human Garden This week’s reading contains God’s instructions for the building of the mishkan, the traveling tabernacle (i.e., a big tent) in which the Israelites will offer sacrifices to God. Hardly a detail is left unmentioned. We learn about …

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