Parshat Emor: What We Don’t DoLeviticus 23:21 וּקְרָאתֶ֞ם בְּעֶ֣צֶם ׀ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כׇּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם בְּכׇל־מוֹשְׁבֹ֥תֵיכֶ֖ם לְדֹרֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃ On that same day you shall hold a celebration; it shall be a sacred occasion for you; you shall not work at your occupations. This is a law for all time in all your settlements, throughout the ages.…
Parshat Kedoshim: The True Meaning of TzedakahLeviticus 19:36 מֹ֧אזְנֵי צֶ֣דֶק אַבְנֵי־צֶ֗דֶק אֵ֥יפַת צֶ֛דֶק וְהִ֥ין צֶ֖דֶק יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם אֲנִי֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ You shall have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I the Lord am your God who freed you from the land of Egypt. Imagine yourself at a busy market 2000…
Parshat Acharei Mot: Starts With YouLeviticus 16:6 וְהִקְרִ֧יב אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־פַּ֥ר הַחַטָּ֖את אֲשֶׁר־ל֑וֹ וְכִפֶּ֥ר בַּעֲד֖וֹ וּבְעַ֥ד בֵּיתֽוֹ׃ Aaron is to offer his own bull of sin offering, to make expiation for himself and for his household. In the detailed Yom Kippur ceremony described in this Torah Portion, it is Aaron’s job to request forgiveness on behalf of the whole people of…
Passover: Saw you in Egypt From the Passover Haggadah בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם In each and every generation a person must view themselves as though they personally left Egypt On seder night we relive the exodus through the magic of the seder, experiencing the feeling of redemption for ourselves, imparting the memory of the exodus to the next generation. To see oneself as if they were personally taken…
“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…