Parashat Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1) By Rabbi Daniel Klein It was classic. Two strikes. Two outs. A runner on second in extra innings of the little league championship game. If my son’s team could get one more strike, they would extend the game. The pitcher threw a perfect pitch, but the batter connected solidly, hitting a line drive up the middle. It was most likely hopeless as soon as it went past the infield, but the center fielder and catcher did... Read more
By Rabbi Ilana Zietman Parshat Balak (Numbers 22:2-25:9) Although this week’s Torah reading is named after Balak, the Moabite king and son of Zippor, much of the reading focuses on another man, Balaam, whom Balak enlists to help him defeat the Israelites. Balak believes Balaam to be a seer for hire who has the power to bless or curse anyone he wishes. The opening verse in Parshat Balak tells us that Balak saw Israel defeat the Amorites and capture their... Read more
By Rabbi Emma Kippley-Ogman Parashat Hukat (Numbers 19:1 – 22:1) “Anyone who looks at four things, it would have been better if they had not come into the world,” the Mishna declares in a furious mood in Hagigah 2:1: “what is above, what is below, what is before and what is after.” If you’re anything like my children, the moment that someone tells you not to think about something, not to bother investigating it, that it is just not your... Read more
Parshat Korach, Numbers 16:1-18:32 By Rachel Adelman, PhD The earth hath bubbles, as the water has, And these are of them. Whither are they vanish’d? (Macbeth, Act I;i) Destruction of Korah Dathan and Abiram, illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible This week’s Torah reading features a complex rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron—led, on the one hand, by Korah and a band a non-priestly Levites (16:3-7), and on the other, by the brothers Dathan and Abiram primarily against... Read more
Parashat Sh’lach Lecha (Numbers 13:1-15:41) By Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld At the beginning of this week’s parsha, we encounter the Israelites in a moment of intense vulnerability and self-doubt. The people have been wandering in the wilderness for over a year. So much is behind them: moments of miraculous rescue, relief, revelation; other moments of thirst, terror, and trembling; and always, the thin, almost imperceptible line between them. What lies ahead is unknown. Guided on their journey by a pillar of... Read more
Parshat Naso (Numbers 4:21 – 7:89) By Rabbi Emma Kippley-Ogman Lecha Dodi, one of the love poems to the Holy One that we recite each Shabbat, quotes a meaningful concept from mystical literature: sof ma’aseh bemahshava tehila – what comes into being last was thought of first. In the mystics’ creation story – and for all of us, on our better days – thought precedes action and the fullness of vision is present even as its realization is incremental. In the Friday... Read more
By Rabbi Daniel Schaefer Parashat B’midbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20) Last Sunday, I had the privilege to witness some of my most cherished friends and beloved classmates become rabbis. The magic of Hebrew College ordination is something that everyone should experience firsthand. The room is filled with family and friends, song, laughter, and joy. As I watched eleven colleagues take on their new status, I was reminded of a verse from this week’s parasha, BaMidbar. The first Torah portion in the book... Read more
Parashat Bechukotai (Leviticus 26:3-27:34) By Rabbi Daniel Klein From its earliest understanding, the revelation of Torah, which we celebrate next week with the holiday of Shavuot, warps time: God made a covenant with you at Horeb (another name for Sinai). It was not with your ancestors that God made this covenant, but with us – those of us who are still alive here today. (Deuteronomy 5:2-3). With these temporally disorienting words to the Israelites, 40 years after the revelation at... Read more
By Rabbi Or N. Rose One of the joys of my work as a rabbi has been the opportunity to serve as the visiting rabbi at Netivot Torah: The Chatham Synagogue (TCS), in New York’s Hudson Valley. Founded twenty years ago by a small contingent of “weekenders” and permanent transplants from the Five Boroughs and other nearby locations, this independent “country shul” has been a key part of my spiritual and professional life for almost two decades. Last weekend, I... Read more
Parashat Emor (Leviticus 21:1-24:23) A few weeks ago, my mother sent me the novel A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. One wizard from that book in particular has been pouring through my mind ever since. His name is Ogion. He says things like to hear one must be silent, then spends his life wandering the woods and mountains alone, wordlessly listening to the shape of unity, the language and life that blossom out of this unity. Images... Read more
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