“Passover days 7 and 8.”: Running TowardExodus 14:15 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מַה־תִּצְעַ֖ק אֵלָ֑י דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶל־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְיִסָּֽעוּ׃ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward! The Beginning of Passover marks the moment we left Egypt, the moment we left our lives as slaves behind. For six days we ran away,…

Parshat Metzorah: NervesLeviticus 14:35 וּבָא֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַבַּ֔יִת וְהִגִּ֥יד לַכֹּהֵ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר כְּנֶ֕גַע נִרְאָ֥ה לִ֖י בַּבָּֽיִת׃ The owner of the house shall come and tell the Kohen, saying, “Something like a plague has appeared in my house.” A German, a Frenchman, and a Jew are walking in a desert. The German man exclaims, “I am so thirsty! I must have some beer!”…

Parshat Tazria: The Gossip ChallengeLeviticus 13:46 כׇּל־יְמֵ֞י אֲשֶׁ֨ר הַנֶּ֥גַע בּ֛וֹ יִטְמָ֖א טָמֵ֣א ה֑וּא בָּדָ֣ד יֵשֵׁ֔ב מִח֥וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה מוֹשָׁבֽוֹ׃ The person shall be impure as long as the disease is present. Being impure, that person shall dwell apart, in a dwelling outside the camp. This week we read about an unfortunate biblical affliction called Tzara’at. This illness is unlike any other.…

Parshat Shmini: The Other Other White MeatLeviticus 11:21 אַ֤ךְ אֶת־זֶה֙ תֹּֽאכְל֔וּ מִכֹּל֙ שֶׁ֣רֶץ הָע֔וֹף הַהֹלֵ֖ךְ עַל־אַרְבַּ֑ע אֲשֶׁר לא כְרָעַ֙יִם֙ מִמַּ֣עַל לְרַגְלָ֔יו לְנַתֵּ֥ר בָּהֵ֖ן עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ But these you may eat among all the winged swarming things that walk on fours: all that have, above their feet, jointed legs to leap with on the ground. Let us take a moment to remember…

Parshat Tzav: The Eternal FlameLeviticus 6:6 אֵ֗שׁ תָּמִ֛יד תּוּקַ֥ד עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ לֹ֥א תִכְבֶּֽה׃ A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to be extinguished. Whether it’s the fire that burned in the lowest bush of the Egyptian desert,  or the light above the ark in synagogues across the world –  Whether it’s the flames of hope kindled in…

Parshat Pekudei: Have a CookieExodus 39:33 וַיָּבִ֤יאוּ אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶת־הָאֹ֖הֶל וְאֶת־כׇּל־כֵּלָ֑יו קְרָסָ֣יו קְרָשָׁ֔יו בְּרִיחָ֖ו וְעַמֻּדָ֥יו וַאֲדָנָֽיו׃ Then they brought the Mishkan to Moses, with the Tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its planks, its bars, its posts, and its sockets. Imagine a table upon which are placed eggs, butter, vanilla extract, flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. Even though one’s…

Parshat Vayikra: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and HoovesLeviticus 2:13 וְהִפְשִׁ֖יט אֶת־הָעֹלָ֑ה וְנִתַּ֥ח אֹתָ֖הּ לִנְתָחֶֽיהָ׃ The burnt offering shall be flayed and cut up into sections. When a sacrifice is made it is not burned whole, but rather cut into pieces. As evidenced by the careful ordering of the limbs and entrails for each offering, this is more than a practical measure.…

Parshat Vayakhel: BuildExodus 36:6 וַיְצַ֣ו מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיַּעֲבִ֨ירוּ ק֥וֹל בַּֽמַּחֲנֶה֮ לֵאמֹר֒ אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֗ה אַל־יַעֲשׂוּ־ע֛וֹד מְלָאכָ֖ה לִתְרוּמַ֣ת הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ וַיִּכָּלֵ֥א הָעָ֖ם מֵהָבִֽיא׃ Moses had this proclamation made throughout the camp: “Let no one make further gifts for the sanctuary!” So the people stopped bringing. When Moses asked for contributions to build the Mishkan, the portable center for worshiping God in the wilderness, he…

Parshat Tetzaveh: Pure, Beaten Olive OilExodus 27:20וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה ׀ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃ Instruct the Israelites to bring you pure oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling an eternal lamp. While the verse speaks about lighting the golden candelabra in the tabernacle, we read in proverbs that “The lamp of God is the human…

Parshat Ki Tisa: SearchingExodus 33:7 וּמֹשֶׁה֩ יִקַּ֨ח אֶת־הָאֹ֜הֶל וְנָֽטָה־ל֣וֹ ׀ מִח֣וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֗ה הַרְחֵק֙ מִן־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וְקָ֥רָא ל֖וֹ אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וְהָיָה֙ כׇּל־מְבַקֵּ֣שׁ יְהֹוָ֔ה יֵצֵא֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֖ר מִח֥וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ Moses would take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp, at some distance from the camp. It was called the Tent of Meeting, and whoever sought God would go out to the Tent…