By Rabbi Justin David Parashat Tazria Leviticus 12:1-13:59 Early in my years as a rabbinical student, I applied for an internship as a hospital chaplain. It was in a large, high profile hospital, and the rabbi who directed the program had a national reputation. He conducted the interview while taking me on a brisk tour of the hospital’s various wards. As we were walking quickly, the rabbi turned to me and asked, “So, how do you deal with the dark... Read more
By Rabbi Jim Morgan Parashat Sh’mini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47) Vay’hi ba-yom ha’sh’mini—And on the eighth day (Lev. 9:1): the last moment of perfection, the departure from the Eden of the seven days of Creation into the fallen world of human existence. The first day of creation was all light, just the work of recognizing distinctions, the basis for the subsequent five days of building up a perfectly balanced world of life with no death. The week culminates in Shabbat, the seventh... Read more
Parashat Tzav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36) The last book that Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote was a 300+ page Yiddish tome on the theological and philosophical relationship between a renowned pietistic Hasidic master of the early 19th century, Reb Menachem Mendl of Kotsk and the famous Christian theologian and mystic Soren Kierkegaard. A book about two 19th century religious figures may not sound like a page turner, but at the heart of the book is a reflection on passion and joy. Heschel explains that... Read more
Parashat Va’yikra (Leviticus 1:1-5:26) By Rabbi Or N. Rose, Director, Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership, Hebrew College “And he [YHWH] called to Moses from the Tent of Meeting…” As one can see in the image above, the letter Aleph at the end of the word “Va’yikra—And He called,” is smaller than the rest of the letters. This oddity (like other instances of reduced or enlarged letters in the Hebrew Bible) has led to an outpouring of creative commentary... Read more
Parashat Pekudei (Exodus 38:21-40:38) By Risa Dunbar Last May, I moved all of my belongings into a storage unit before leaving town for the year. I researched and secured the appropriate unit, donated unneeded items, and packed my remaining belongings into boxes, each of which I accounted for in a detailed spreadsheet. My thinking was that, upon my return to Boston, I would be able to find what I needed, and quickly feel at home once more. Assessing my belongings was... Read more
By Rabbi Minna Bromberg ’10 Parashat VaYak’hel Exodus 35:1-38:20 “Pencils down,” the exam proctor says firmly. And in that moment, whatever hopes or fears I may have had about what I’ve accomplished in this test evaporate, and I am left with whatever answers I have managed to give in the time available. It has been decades since I sat for any kind of formal timed exam like those etched in my memories and yet I have a similar “Pencils down”... Read more
By Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer ’14, Hebrew College Artist in Residence and Rosh Tefila Parashat Ki Tissa Exodus 30:11-34:35 Oh so many censuses (censi?) in the Torah. Why must God count us all the time? Our rabbi ancestors explain it with a mashal, a parable: To what can we compare God counting us? To a king with overflowing treasures. In the corner of his palace lies a box of semi-precious stones. Nothing flashy. For some inexplicable reason, the king loves... Read more
By Rabbi Danny Stein, Hebrew College Rabbinical School ’23 Parashat Tetzaveh Exodus 27:20-30:10 We learn this in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Ancestors): אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר? הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ Who is rich? One who is happy with what he has. (Avot 4:1) This is a wonderful exercise in gratitude; I should strive to be content and happy with what I have now. But, what about those moments when I am jealous of what others have? In Parshat Tetzaveh, we learn that Moses’s... Read more
Parashat Terumah (Exodus 25:1-27:19) By Idit Klein, President of Keshet, a campus partner of Hebrew College וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם׃ They shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8) I could only read this week’s parashah, Terumah, and this verse in particular, through the lens of my trip to Israel last month. Together with 11 other women in leadership in the Boston Jewish community, we met with our counterparts in Israel — feminist leaders... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Healing the Affliction of Isolation
By Sivan Piatigorsky-Roth Parashat Metzora Leviticus 14:1-15:33 In a college creative writing class I had a professor tell me during a workshop that I am “obsessed with space.” Everything I handed in for his class was disproportionately focused on describing the home and other private spaces in great detail. I had not realized I’d been doing it, but once I saw it I couldn’t stop seeing it. In every facet of my life, I realized, I am primarily oriented towards... Read more