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
Parashat Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:1-20: 27) By Rabbi Josh Weisman When you live in San Francisco some of your neighbors are likely to be Catholic. From the early Spanish missionaries and settlers to later Mexican and Central American immigrants, from Irish, Italian, Filipino, and Maltese immigrants to their descendants, San Francisco is a Catholic town. This might seem to contradict San Francisco’s more widely known image first as a city of libertines and later as a center for gay movements and... Read more
Parashat Achrei Mot (Leviticus 16:1-18:30) By Rabbi Avi Killip The Yom Kippur ritual, described in this week’s parsha, stages the ultimate drama. On this one day, the high priest is invited to peek behind the curtain. The danger is real, and the thrill of coming closer than ever to God is almost palpable. You can imagine his heart racing as he draws near. And while most temple rituals are remembered only through the chanting of a Torah service, we make... Read more
By Daniel Brosgol Congratulations, friends, you have journeyed through another Passover, and hopefully feel a greater sense of liberation as the holiday draws to a close on Saturday night. In truth, the last few days of Pesach are a poor man’s parallel to the final hours of Yom Kippur — but you’ve made it this far, so why not go all the way! In fact, consider going to synagogue to listen to one of the more remarkable texts from the... Read more
First Day of Pesach By Rabbi Avi Strausberg How do you shecht a Leviathan? Just like us, the rabbis wrestled with their own pressing questions whose answers could not be found in the Torah. According to Vayikra Rabba, in the World to Come, the righteous would witness a dazzling duel between the mythical creatures the Behemoth and the Leviathan. After this contest of strengths, they’d get to eat the meat of these mythical creatures. But the rabbis wondered, how would these animals,... Read more
Parashat Metzora (Leviticus 14:1-15:33) By Rabbi Gray Myrseth He shall send away the live bird outside the city, into the open field. This is how he shall effect atonement for the house and it will be ritually pure. (Leviticus 14:53) It seems to me there is no escaping from the work of praise. No ground outside its frame, no spare reply or costume of address. Send the live phrase outside the city, out into the open field. Beyond the camp... Read more
Parashat Tazria (Leviticus 12:1-13:59) By Rabbi Brian Besser The Levitical laws of purity strike the modern ear as arcane at best, and repugnant at worst. What are we to make of the apparently misogynistic passage at the beginning this week’s Torah portion Tazria, declaring “impure” the childbearing mother, or next week’s portion declaring “impure” the menstruating woman for that matter? It would be a singularly sadistic God who fashioned the human being with naturally occurring functions such as parturition and... Read more
Parshat Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47) Rabbi Adina Allen Aaron’s first role as High Priest is to make the inaugural sacrifice on the newly-completed altar. Moses commands Aaron to offer up—amongst other animals—an egel (calf) to atone for himself and the people. That Moses commands the sacrifice of an egel is curious. Rather than a par (bull), as Leviticus 4:3 dictates for this kind of purification offering, Aaron is told to sacrifice an egel. Nowhere else in Torah is an egel mentioned... Read more
Parshat Tzav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36) By Rabbi Benjamin Barer Judaism has always concerned itself with proscribing ritual actions that govern our lives, not simply those related to prayer or the rituals of our holy days. In the modern world, this all-encompassing focus can seem oppressive, but paradoxically it can also be freeing. Buried within the seemingly endless descriptions of the sacrifices the Israelites offered in the mishkan, or portable Tabernacle, lies a hint as to why this might be. Parshat Tzavopens by... Read more
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