Parashat Chukkat Numbers 19:1-22:1 Chukkat is a portion preoccupied with loss, limitation and attempts to cope with the consequences of human mortality. The very name of the parashah refers to a mysterious ritual for dealing with dead bodies described in the opening chapter. And this is followed by narratives of the deaths of two of the three leaders whom “[God] sent before you” (Micah 6: 4) as essential guides. The second leader to die is Aaron, brother of Moses and... Read more
By Matthew Schultz, Hebrew College rabbinical student Parashat Korach Numbers 16:1-18:32 כי כל־העדה כלם קדשים ובתוכם יהוה “All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them” (Numbers 16:3) These words were uttered by Korach before he was consumed by the earth. If you hear something profound in them, you’re not alone. Were they not words of truth, the 19th century Hasidic master, the Ishbitzer Rebbe tells us, the Torah would not have recorded them... Read more
By Joshua Jacobson Haftarat Shelach Lecha (Joshua 2:1-24) We often make assumptions about people based on first impressions or on accepted stereotypes. Sometimes, however, on deeper consideration new aspects may be revealed to us. That teenager with the nose ring and the huge tattoo could be a Rhodes scholar. That old man with the stutter might have some important things to say. There are many Jewish women in the Hebrew Bible who are unambiguously presented as heroes — brave people... Read more
By Rev. Tom Reid Parashat Beha’alotcha Numbers 8:1-12:16 Being a person of faith is challenging in a variety of ways. One particular challenge that faces those of us in Abrahamic traditions is the inherent tension between living in community among humans and living in relationship to God. We humans are messy, complicated, imperfect creatures. God defies understanding and transcends all limits, expectations, or demands we might attempt to place on God. These are two difficult, unruly forces. Perhaps it would... Read more
By Rabbi Shira Shazeer ’10 Parashat Naso Numbers 4:21-7:89 A former student of mine taught me the Hebrew expression, sofrim et ha-omer, v’az sofrim lagomer, we count the omer, and then count down to the end of school. This year, the two come closely intertwined. The intensity of ending the school year mirrors the spiritual intensity of Shavuot, receiving the Torah’s revelation. The yearning for summer and the time to pursue the deferred needs of our souls resonates with Shavuot’s... Read more
By Naomi Gurt Lind Parashat Bamidbar Numbers 1:1-4:20 לִמְנוֹת יָמֵינוּ כֵּן הוֹדַע וְנָבִא לְבַב חָכְמָה׃ Teach us to count our days truly, that we may attain a heart of wisdom. (Psalms 90:12) Six weeks ago, with the taste of afikoman still on our lips, we entered our season of counting. Day by day, week by week, we have been counting our days. Each evening we bless and count: days and weeks in seven groups of seven, as commanded in Leviticus... Read more
By Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman Parashat Bechukotai (Leviticus 26:3-27:34) “Neurodiversity is a movement to claim the many ways there are to be human.” —Amanda Diekman My son and I are both Autistic with a PDA profile. Though many prefer Pervasive Drive for Autonomy, PDA’s clinical name is Pathological Demand Avoidance. Along with many PDAers and PDA educators, I believe PDA is best understood as a nervous system disability in which a person is born with an overactive threat response that... Read more
By Rabbi Ilana Zeitman, HC ’19 Parashat Behar Leviticus 25:1-26:2 My two-year-old is starting to use new words at an overwhelmingly rapid pace. As a parent, it is incredible to witness his growing ability to express himself and to communicate with others. Half the time his scattered sentences are fairly helpful in understanding what he wants, and the other half of the time, his speech is an entertaining mix of singing, gibberish and playful chatter. The other day, though, he... Read more
By Rav Hazzan Ken Richmond, HC ’21 Parashat Emor Leviticus 21:1-24:23 Life as a congregational clergy person is full of rapid ups and downs. The same week or day may bring a bris and a tragic funeral, visiting sick congregants and teaching B-mitzvah students, discussing anti-Semitism and Israel at war, and singing with preschool kids. This reflects the variegated experiences of those in our communities. In addition to the fluctuations of our individual lives and of the Jewish community as... Read more
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Facing the Wilderness
By Jayce Koester, Hebrew College Rabbinical Student Parashat Balak Numbers 22:2-25:9 In this week’s Torah portion, Bil’am—a non-Israelite diviner—gets caught up in a mess that ordinarily would be none of his business. Balak, the king of Moab, summons Bil’am to assuage his fears of being overrun, and commands him to curse the Israelites. Bil’am is quickly informed by G!d that no curses are on the agenda and Bil’am, to his credit, seems to take that in stride and does not... Read more