In the course of our lives, we care for others, and we also receive care. During a period of stress, illness, or loss, we may experience a different interplay of caregiving and care-receiving. The Talmud (Berachot 5b) tells us of Rabbi Yohanan, who was known as a leading scholar and also as a man who …
Reflections For the Days of Awe Each year, Jewish tradition calls us to celebrate the turning of the calendar with both joy and solemnity. We bring in the New Year with apples and honey, followed by “Ten Days of Repentance” and solemn introspection, concluding with Yom Kippur, our Day of Atonement. On Yom Kippur itself, …
This week we are reading the section of the Torah that describes in elaborate detail the construction of the mishkan, the sanctuary that travels with the Israelites on their journey. Parshat Terumah gives us precise instructions about the colors and types of jewels, stones, clasps and cloths that are used to build the mishkan. The …
The Torah portion Pekudei, focuses on details. It is filled with the details of building the Tabernacle. At first glance, the reading of details can become numbing; our eyes turning to soft focus just like the times we may feign attention to a conversation that loses our interest. But, isn’t it true that in a …
Much of the content of the book of Vayikra, Leviticus, is the center point for issues dealing with the raw feelings of human concern: sexuality and diet, separation and holiness, disease and health, and how to deal with interpersonal relationships in a variety of economic and social settings. Therefore, structurally and psychosocially, the book is …
The Torah, which records the earliest history of the Jeiwsh people, does not begin (as one might expect) with Abraham, the first Jew. Rather, the Torah begins at the Beginning, with creation itself. Why might that be? One answer is that Torah wants to talk about creation of all human beings, before it narros the …
In this week’s Torah reading, Va-yigash, we witness a great healing that comes when Joseph, the now-powerful right-hand-man to Egypt’s Pharaoh, reveals his true identity to his long-estranged brothers. Years earlier, Joseph aroused his brothers’ jealousy as a young man with grand dreams and as their father’s obvious favorite child. Joseph’s brothers conspired and sold …
Parashat Vayetze is an epic family drama, literally of Biblical proportions. Deception, sibling competition and betrayal, infertility, forgiveness and homecoming are a few examples of the themes found in this week’s Torah portion. In reading Vayetze, we encounter several reminders that even in the midst of family drama and physical challenges, God is present and …
“Gold, silver and copper; blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen, goat’s hair; tanned ram skins, dolphin skins and acacia wood…