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On Doubt and Prayer (Part 4): 鈥淪oul鈥� of Prayer

Feb 19, 2014 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

In the preliminary section of the morning service, the siddur guides us through some of the most basic concepts of our existence. We ask each day, 鈥�Mah anu? Meh chayeinu?鈥� (Who are we? What are our lives?), and I confess that I always wonder if the questions are rhetorical or if they demand from us, each day, an answer. Each day, we also turn to two paragraphs that address the core nature of every human being: the siddur invites us to affirm that we are more than 鈥渁 body with vessels and glands, organs, and systems of wondrous design鈥� (Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays, 4), and presents the challenging, inspiring, and even comforting words, 鈥�Elohai neshamah she-natata bi tehorah hi鈥� (My God, the soul You planted within me is pure). Very starkly, the soul is identified as a gift from God, created by God and 鈥渂reathed into us,鈥� that will one day be taken from the body. Unlike Descartes, who in his Meditations on First Philosophy reflects extensively on where precisely in the body the soul is to be located, the siddur does not deal with this question.

Wisdom of the Heart

Feb 19, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayak-hel

In many ways, Parashat Vayak-hel repeats the instruction of previous parashiyot.

Moses As Prophetic Psychologist

Feb 12, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Ki Tissa

The notorious centerpiece of Parashat Ki Tissa is the episode of the Golden Calf.

On Doubt and Prayer (Part 3)

Feb 11, 2014 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

The droughts experienced recently in California and Israel became so severe that religious leaders of many faith traditions called for special prayers for rain. In the context of the history of Jewish liturgy, this is especially resonant, for much of our earliest data about rabbinic liturgy is based upon the detailed description of prayers for rain in the Mishnah (see Mishnah Ta鈥檃nit chapters 1 and 2, and extensive discussion in the Gemara). However, prayers for rain, especially in modernity, also bring us immediately into some of the most challenging contemporary reflections about prayer and ritual: 鈥淒oes it work?!鈥� Even though meteorology is far from an exact science, I suspect that there are few (if any) climate scientists who would include ritual gatherings, no matter how sincere, among the variables that determine the likelihood of rain.

Arts and Crafts: Commentary on Parashat Ki Tissa

Feb 11, 2014 By Alan Cooper | Commentary | Ki Tissa

There are aspects of the Bible鈥檚 account of the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness that seem incredible; so much so that early critical commentators tended to reject its historical accuracy out of hand.

The Eternal Light of Torah

Feb 5, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Tetzavveh

At the beginning of Parashat Tetzavveh, Moses is commanded to instruct the Israelites:

bring clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly. Aaron and his sons will set them up in the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain which is over the Ark, to burn from evening to morning before the Lord. It will be a statute for the Israelites throughout all time, throughout the ages鈥� (Exod. 27:20鈥�21).

A Dress Code for Judaism

Feb 4, 2014 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Tetzavveh

I received a valuable insight into this week鈥檚 Torah portion over lunch one day about 20 years ago at the Stanford University Humanities Center. Across the table sat a female professor from China, newly arrived on her first visit to America. I was the first Jew she had ever met, and at some point the conversation shifted from the books we were writing to how Judaism differed from other faith traditions and communities in America. That鈥檚 when she startled me with an observation I shall never forget. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 be significantly different from anyone else in this country. You are dressed exactly the same as they are.鈥�

On Doubt and Prayer (Part 2)

Jan 29, 2014 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

Dan Savage offers a reflection on prayer that is both humorous and poignant, noting that, as a self-identified 鈥渓apsed Catholic,鈥� he prays only when he feels his life is in danger (in planes and when driving with his partner), and then never follows up, making him 鈥渘ot only an ingrate, but also a hypocrite鈥� (). Perhaps this is an updated version of the old adage, 鈥淭here are no atheists in foxholes.鈥�

Terumah – The Gift That Elevates

Jan 29, 2014 By Eitan Fishbane | Commentary | Terumah

Sometimes we all feel like we鈥檙e giving more than we get, that we do more than our share, or that our individual needs are being sacrificed for the sake of someone else鈥檚 happiness.

The Tabernacle: Divinity and Practicality

Jan 29, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Terumah

Parashat Terumah opens dramatically with a building campaign.

On Doubt (Part 1)

Jan 22, 2014 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

There are many texts found in the siddur that are not easily planted in our mouths, minds, hearts, and souls. For example, how might a person say with integrity, 鈥淢y God, the soul You have given me is pure鈥� (Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays, 4), while intellectually struggling with the existence of soul, and beset by uncertainty about the presence of God in the world?

Defining a Moral and Just Society

Jan 22, 2014 By Judith Hauptman | Commentary | Mishpatim

Sometimes an article in the newspaper reminds you of something in the Torah and makes you think in new ways about verses you have read many times before.

Building Bridges

Jan 22, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Mishpatim

After legislating the multiplicity of laws in what has become known as Sefer Ha-Brit, the 鈥淏ook of the Covenant,鈥� Parashat Mishpatim concludes on a pessimistic note鈥攁 warning to the Israelites.

Shabbat Eve (Part 3): 鈥淪it in the Dark, or Light Candles鈥�

Jan 15, 2014 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

Lighting candles at home (and in some synagogues) is a deeply rooted practice among the Jewish people all over the world. A pair of candlesticks is often identified as among the most precious (Jewish) possessions of a family, and many people speak of the sense of ethereal peace that descends upon a household (or community) as the flames of the candles come to life and the blessing is chanted.

Exodus 18: The Proverbial Visit of the In-Laws

Jan 15, 2014 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Yitro

鈥淐ome and listen to my story 鈥檅out a man named . . . Jethro!鈥�

A Lesson in Interreligious Dialogue

Jan 15, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Yitro

If one were asked to identify the most central parashah to Israelite identity and to Judaism, one would certainly point to Parashat Yitro, which describes the moment of revelation at Sinai.

Shabbat Eve (Part 2): Shabbat Angels鈥擝lessings or . . .

Jan 9, 2014 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

鈥�Shalom aleikhem鈥� is a traditional greeting exchanged upon encountering a friend or acquaintance, and also the opening phrase of the familiar song chanted around the Shabbat table before Friday night kiddush (Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat, 13, 309).

Living Practice: Not 鈥淗ow鈥� but 鈥淲hy鈥�

Jan 9, 2014 By Ute Steyer | Commentary | Beshallah

鈥淣ow when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; for God said, 鈥楾he people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.鈥欌�� (Exod. 13:17)

Determination and Redemption

Jan 8, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Beshallah

Parashat Beshallah witnesses triumphant redemption.

The Many Languages of Torah

Jan 3, 2014 By Marcus Mordecai Schwartz | Commentary | Bo

Sometimes basic questions are the hardest to answer. For example, I know that one plus one equals two, but when asked to prove it logically, I may struggle a bit before I can express it.