First Night of Passover, April 3, 2015
The whole reason for having a seder is to fulfill the Torah’s commandment to teach our children about the exodus and the Israelites’ miraculous path from slavery to freedom. Presumably, this commandment could be carried out in a sentence or …
Parshat Tzav (Leviticus 6-8) March 28, 2015
The Shabbat preceding Passover (Pesah) is known as Shabbat ha-Gadol, “the Big Sabbath.” A number of imaginative reasons have been put forward for this name, but in truth it seems to have arisen from the practice of reviewing in public …
Weekly Torah Reading: Parshat Vayyikra
(Lev 1-5:26) March 21, 2015
Nowadays it is customary for someone who converts to take on a new first name in Hebrew—Abraham is a common choice for men and Sarah for women. The point is that changing one’s name suggests breaking with one’s former life, …
Parshat Vayyakhel-Pekudei (Exod 35-40) March 14, 2015
The Torah devotes a bit more than four consecutive weekly readings to the construction of the mishkan, the portable sanctuary that the Israelites utilized during their wanderings in the wilderness. This is an awful lot for what was, in essence, …
Parshat Ki Tissa (Exodus 30:11-34:35) March 7, 2015
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 and Moses remained on the …
Shabbat Zakhor (Remembering Amalek) February 28, 2015
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 what Amalek did to you on your way out of Egypt—how he fell on you along …
Parshat Terumah (February 21)
This week’s Torah reading (Exodus 25 – 27:19) begins with Moses’ request that the Israelites contribute whatever they have on hand—any gold or silver or copper, twines of various colors, and other materials—to be used in the building of the …
Parshat Mishpatim (February 14, 2015):
What does the Torah Say About Abortion?
This week’s Torah portion consists of numerous laws given to Moses on Mount Sinai. One of the cases it describes reads as follows: When men are fighting and they [accidentally] strike a pregnant woman so that her baby comes out—if …