Turning curses into blessings Parashat Balak, this week’s parasha, contains an infamous biblical story. The king of Moab, Balak, feared…
Two Minutes of Torah
When do we challenge authority and with what intent? Our parsha this week includes not one, but two rebellions against Moses and Aaron: one over Aaron‘s priestly authority and the other about Moses‘ civic leadership. Some scholars argue that there are two conflicting narratives woven into one here, and the message is essentially the same: the power-hungry will never prevail. Korach levels a claim against Aaron & Moses, citing the holiness of every…
The start of the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, contains a census of the Israelite people. This enumeration of individuals functions…
The Deuteronomist, whether a person or a school of thought, added some fire and brimstone into this last parasha of…
Gratitude. A caution against over-reliance on personal merit and the resulting ego. An early look at privilege and power in…
A sofer, a scribe of Jewish texts including Torah scrolls, mezuzzot, tefillin texts and more, has a difficult job. Not…
“You shall be Holy, for I, the Lord your God, am Holy.” Thus begins this week’s parashah, Kedoshim, the modern-day…
The Right Approach The philosophy of teaching is integral in Judaism. God revealed a text to us, so refining the…
At it’s best, a close reading of our parsha suggests that we help those recovering from illness reintegrate into their communities; at it’s worst…
But when from a long-distant past nothing subsists, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, still,…