Thoughts on Parashat Emor 5785

Parashat Emor contains two of the most fundamental commandments regarding worship in Judaism, two commandments that touch on the very nature of Jewish identity:

“Do not desecrate My holy name. I must be sanctified among the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 22:32).

These two commandments are, respectively, the prohibition against desecrating God’s name—chillul Hashem—and its positive counterpart, kiddush Hashem—the commandment to sanctify God’s name.

Thoughts on Parashat Acharei Mot 5785

In ancient Israel, specifically during the Temple period, three types of tithes were practiced: the first tithe (ma’aser rishon), the second tithe (ma’aser sheni), and the poor tithe (ma’aser kesafim). The First Tithe was a standard tithe of 10% of agricultural produce (grain, wine, oil, fruits) and livestock. It was given to the Levites, who supported the Temple and its rituals. The Levites, in turn, would tithe from their share to the kohanim (priests). The Second Tithe was set aside during the first, second, fourth, and fifth years of the seven-year agricultural cycle. It was used to purchase food and other necessities to take to Jerusalem for festivals and to be consumed there; celebrate and enjoy God’s blessings by consuming the tithe in the Holy City. The Poor Tithe was given to the poor, widows, orphans, and Levites in the third and sixth years of the seven-year cycle. It was intended to alleviate poverty and provide for the needs of those in need.

Thoughts on Parashat Tazria-Metzora

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
(Proverbs 18:21)

Our parasha for this week talks extensively about some form of a skin disease. Some scholars call it now “scale disease,” but for centuries, if not millenia, people thought that the Torah was talking about leprosy. But this is a misnomer. The famous Greek physician, Hippocrates, grouped together a bunch of different skin diseases under a single Greek name “lepra”. Then, in the 3rd century BCE our Jewish scholars, probably for lack of a better word, used the name “lepra” in the first, Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Septuagint. Since then, people all over the world have thought the Bible was talking about leprosy.

Thoughts on Parashat Shemini 5785

Our parasha for this week contains the tragic tale of Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu, who “offered a strange fire that had not been commanded.” (Lev 10:1) It all starts with what should have been a day of joy – the Israelites had completed the Mishkan, Moses had made preparations for its consecration for 7 days. But it all ends in this terrible tragedy. Our sages offer several readings of this story: some say that Nadav and Avihu had been drinking alcohol. Others maintain that they were arrogant, holding themselves up above the community; this was also the reason they had never married. Others claim they were insecure and envious in the presence of Moses and Aaron – they were saying to each other: when will these two old men die so we can lead the congregation? But there is yet another opinion that boils down to the argument that it all wouldn’t have happened if Aaron and Moses weren’t that shy in their leadership, that they should have been more decisive and firm.

Thoughts on Shabbat Pesach Day 7, 5785

A jealous boyfriend catches his girlfriend whispering quietly into her cell phone very late one night. “Are you cheating?” her angry boyfriend asks. “Is there somebody else?” The girlfriend laughs and replies, “Do you really think I’d still be dating you if there was someone else?”

Frankly, had this indeed happened in real life, these young people must have lived in a pretty lonely place – in some very distant and desolate province, village or small island community, for example. Another place that comes to my mind at this moment is… the Garden of Eden??

Thoughts on Pesach 5785

There are different types of freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom of movement, economic freedom etc. There are at least 40 of them. On a more general, philosophical level, we divide freedom into freedom from and freedom to. ‘Freedom from’ entails the right to be free from interference or domination, and focuses on protection of our innate rights and emotional safety. It lays the groundwork of a society where citizens can live without fear of oppression and can thrive as a community. “Freedom to”, generally speaking, refers to the liberty to conduct desired actions without restriction. It is the capacity to make choices that are yours alone, independent of external influences or pressures. The borders of all kinds of freedoms are defined by law, freedoms of different individuals and entities in the society, as well as the means one has in his or her possession.