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A Personal Relationship to Torah

Feb 3, 2007 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Beshallah

In his parashah commentary several weeks ago on the beginning of the book of Exodus, our Chancellor-elect Arnold Eisen shared what I consider one of my favorite texts.

Pesah Three Ways

Jan 27, 2007 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Bo | Pesah

Unambiguous ambiguity is the hallmark of philology, the study of words. The deeper one delves into the meaning of a given word, the more that particular word yields to shades of meaning. This week’s Torah reading, Parashat Bo, presents us with one such example of multilayered understandings and readings. As the Children of Israel depart from Egypt, God issues the first commandment to the Israelites: “This month [Nisan] will mark for you the beginning of the months.” (Exodus 12:2). How are the Israelites to mark this new month of Nisan? On the tenth day of the month, the Israelites are commanded to select a lamb which will serve as the Pesah offering to God. What precisely is the meaning of Pesah?

Free Will and Dental Care

Jan 26, 2007 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Commentary | Bo

After years of neglect and in response to the prodding of my dentist, I have undertaken a much more rigorous program of care for my teeth.

Conditioning Our Hearts

Jan 20, 2007 By Shuly Rubin Schwartz | Commentary | Va'era

In this week’s parashah, as our narrative draws ever closer to the climactic Exodus from Egypt, we feel the drama building.

Creatures of Habit

Jan 20, 2007 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Va'era

Why did God “harden Pharaoh’s heart”? To what extent was God acting justly or fairly? How may we understand God’s gesture in light of free choice? Parashat Va-era presents a classic challenge to our modern sensibilities. Yet ours is not the first generation to ask these questions.

God’s Nomenclature

Jan 13, 2007 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Shemot

The act of “naming” is a God鈥搇ike act that speaks to relationship and power.

Guided by the Covenant

Jan 12, 2007 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Shemot

There is a wonderful midrash in Pesikta de-Rav Kahana that suggests a profound relationship between the arrival of the manna described in Parashat Be’shallah and the giving of the Ten Commandments recounted in the following parashah, Yitro. Just as the manna tasted different to each and every Israelite, Rabbi Yosi teaches, so each was enabled according to his or her particular capacity to hear the Divine Word differently at Sinai (12:25).

Memorials of Healing

Jan 6, 2007 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayehi

On the surface, Parashat Vayehi, the concluding Torah reading of both Genesis and the Joseph narrative, is about death.

Returning to Joseph’s Pit

Jan 6, 2007 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayehi

On the surface, Parashat Va鈥搚’hi, the concluding Torah reading of both Genesis and the Joseph narrative, is about death. Both Jacob and Joseph come to their respective ends; and the haftarah that we read turns to the final hours of King David’s life. And although this parashah ostensibly throws us a “curve ball,” the essence of this reading is found in the title, 惫补鈥搚’丑颈, meaning and “he (Jacob) lived.” Va鈥搚’hi is more about life, than it is about death.

A Question of Translation

Dec 30, 2006 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Vayiggash

Parashat Vayiggash (or, as it is sometimes known in Hebrew school circles, “parashat omigosh”) serves as the denouement of the “Tale of Joseph and His Brothers.”

Words that Come from the Heart

Dec 30, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayiggash

Parashat Va鈥搚iggash leads us to the dramatic conclusion of the Joseph narrative, as the protagonist reveals his identity to his estranged brothers. Out of a profound and real fear of losing another brother, Judah makes a stirring appeal to Joseph. As Joseph imbibes the emotional outpouring from Judah, he cannot restrain himself from a similar outpouring. The Rabbis teach that “words that come from the heart, go to the heart.”

Remaining Jewish

Dec 23, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Miketz

The First Book of Samuel teaches, “just as his name, so too is his essence” (I Samuel 25:25). Such wisdom reflects more than a kernel of truth.

Greetings of Peace

Dec 16, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayeshev

Wrestling Over Sacred Issues

Dec 9, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayishlah

Appropriately enough, this week’s Torah reading is Parashat Vayishlah.

God in Our Midst

Dec 6, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayetzei

After Jacob steals Esav’s blessing, a deep rift develops between these two brothers.

Doing the Impossible

Dec 2, 2006 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Vayetzei

This parashah challenges us to do the impossible. Let me explain.

The Challenges and Joys of Parenting

Nov 25, 2006 By Steven Brown | Commentary | Toledot

Parshat Toledot is the epitome of the challenges, struggles, ambivalences, and joys of parenting.

Dawkins and a Deeper Level of Faith

Nov 18, 2006 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah

In his introduction, Richard Dawkins articulates his goal in writing The God Delusion: “If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down” (5).

Not a “Yes Man”

Nov 11, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayera

Dr. Yohanan Muffs, a beloved teacher of Bible at 91快播, discusses the essential qualities of a prophet in his seminal article “Who Will Stand in the Breach?” Far from merely being the divine messenger, the prophet has the duty to act as an empathetic sounding board for God. More than that, the prophet must exercise his/her own free will in an effort to calm the divine temper. First and foremost, it is the responsibility of the prophet to push back on God. As one of my students in Atlanta pointed out this past week, it is as if the prophet is God’s ezer k’negdo, “a helper against himself.” The prophet does not stand passively by, mirroring divine emotion, but rather must be willing to access the gumption to confront God.

Examining the Word Moriah

Nov 11, 2006 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Vayera

Years ago, in a national television program called Laugh In (yes, I lived during the Stone Age 鈥� the Rolling Stone Age. Never mind.), a comedian lampooned the song “They Called the Wind Moriah” from the Broadway show Paint Your Wagon.