By Frankie Sandmel Parshat Acharei Mot (Leviticus 16:1–18:30) Parshat Acharei Mot, in all honesty, evokes a reaction along the lines of, “Ugh, are we still reading this? Aren’t we healed from this already? Can we skip it this year?” It opens with the fallout from the dramatic, public deaths of Aaron’s sons and closes with a list of all of the forbidden sexual practices, including the particularly dicey Leviticus 18:22, “Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman;... Read more
By Naomi Gurt Lind Achron shel Pesach (Exodus 13:17-15:26) After our seders We come back to B’shallach Yet we’re also changed Bechol dor vador Generations see ourselves Leaving our narrows All Jews forever Each and every one of us Lives this story out Moses leads us forth Stands up to his own demons Also to Pharaoh When we make our way God sends us the long way round Scared we might turn back A pillar of cloud Keeps us company... Read more
Pesach (Exodus 12:21-12:51) by Rabbi Adina Allen וּלְקַחְתֶּם אֲגֻדַּת אֵזוֹב וּטְבַלְתֶּם בַּדָּם אֲשֶׁר בַּסַּף וְהִגַּעְתֶּם אֶל הַמַּשְׁקוֹף וְאֶל שְׁתֵּי הַמְּזוּזֹת מִן הַדָּם אֲשֶׁר בַּסָּף וְאַתֶּם לֹא תֵצְאוּ אִישׁ מִפֶּתַח בֵּיתוֹ עַד בֹּקֶר You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply it to the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the entrance of their... Read more
By Rabbi Micha’el Rosenberg Parashat Metzora (Leviticus 14:1-15:33) This week’s parashah, Metzora, continues the discussion, begun last week, about nega‘im (singular: nega‘)–various kinds of physical irregularities, found on the human body, in clothing, and, finally, on the walls of homes. Each generates ritual impurity, and each has a ritual for diagnosing and then, upon healing, ending the period of impurity. In the case of nega‘im found on a house, the Torah says: The owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, “There seems... Read more
Parashat Tazria (Leviticus 12:1-13:59) By Heather Renetzky Parashat Tazria, with its long and dry list of details about leprosy, has never felt so relevant. It’s as if some of this parasha’s questions were taken straight out of a CDC press conference. When is it important to isolate yourself from others for health reasons? In what situations can we be more lenient? Is illness transmittable through surfaces? The Etz Chayim commentary on the parasha notes, “Perhaps no concept in the Torah is less accessible to... Read more
Parashat Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47) By Rafi Ellenson | March 22, 2022 Often, we don’t see our imperfections until we’ve completed our first drafts. This isn’t a problem. It’s a beautiful and essential part of human nature. We don’t and we can’t achieve perfection. We can only try and try again where we fall short. Consider the creation narrative in Genesis. Seven days creates one perfect, whole, complete cycle of creation and rest. After that—on the eighth day—is when humanity really... Read more
Parashat Tzav (Leviticus 6:1–8:36) By Joey Glick | March 15, 2022 My mom’s journey with stage-IV lung cancer started with a bang, with ever worsening scans, with aggressive chemotherapy, and with deep, heartfelt conversations. I knew that things had gotten bad when my mom, a lifelong worry-er, told me on the phone that her anxiety was gone: “Joe, I feel like this is all making me understand that I don’t need to sweat the small stuff.” I immediately booked a... Read more
Parashat VaYikra (Leviticus 1:1–5:26) and Parashat Zakhor (Deuteronomy 25:17–19) By Rachel Adelman | March 08, 2022 In this essay, I want to unfold one word for you, like a map by which we might direct our path towards this coming season of Purim, in language play on va-yiqra’ / va-yiqar. This week’s Torah reading opens: And [He] called to Moses [vayiqra’ el Moshe] and the LORD [Yhwh] spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting saying: Speak to the Israelites... Read more
Parashat Pekudei (Exodus 38:21–40:38) By Rabbi Becky Silverstein | February 28, 2022 One of the things I miss most about going to shul regularly is the moment when the final line of a book of Torah is read. In many places, the kahal (community) rises and calls out, “chazak, chazak, v’nit’chazek” (“be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened”). These words are then echoed by the Torah reader. This thirty second ritual takes an otherwise ordinary moment in the... Read more
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Together or Apart? Rebuilding Holy Community Across Space
By Rav Hazzan Ken Richmond Parshat Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:1-20:27) Last week my consortium of synagogues commemorated Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, gathering in person for the first time in three years to lift up our voices together, light candles, recite prayers, and to have the rare privilege of hearing testimony from a survivor and his family. As with many events these days, we were hybrid, with an option to participate and view the event via live stream. Many people tuned into... Read more