A Covenant of Salt
Mar 20, 2026 By Tim Daniel Bernard | Commentary | Vayikra
Covenant is a central concept in Judaism. The Torah and later tradition make clear that the people Israel have a special relationship with God, and Jews have acquired the epithet 鈥渢he chosen people鈥� (though Jewish particularism need not preclude other peoples having their own unique relationships with God). Rabbi David Hartman,锄鈥漧, titled his exposition of Jewish theologyA Living Covenant. Rabbi David Wolpe, in a speech at 91快播,proposedhighlighting the mainstream ideological approach of Conservative Judaism by rebranding it as 鈥淐ovenantal Judaism.鈥�
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Who is Liable?
Apr 4, 2025 By Alan Cooper | Commentary | Vayikra
The opening parashah of Leviticus comprises regulations for the performance of sacrifices. Of these, the most complicated are the hattat and the asham offerings, discussed in chapters 4 and 5. As James Watts observes in the best English-language commentary to appear since Milgrom鈥檚,[1] these chapters have been 鈥渢he subject of an especially contentious history of interpretation.鈥� The reason is the ambiguity of the biblical text, with its conjoining of 鈥渟in鈥� and 鈥済uilt,鈥� and the absence of a clear distinction between actual (objective) guilt and (subjective) guilty feelings.
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What Does It Mean to Be Called?
Mar 24, 2023 By Burton L. Visotzky | Commentary | Vayikra
This week we begin reading the middle book of the Five Books of Moses, Leviticus. Its position in the Torah scroll is not just coincidental; the laws of Leviticus are central to the earliest rabbis鈥� understanding of Judaism. The rules in the book are indicated by its name in English (Latin, actually): Leviticus. These are the detailed regulations for the tribe of Levi, particularly that branch of the clan known as thekohanim, the priesthood.
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“Tis the Gift to Be Simple”
Mar 11, 2022 By Gordon Tucker | Commentary | Shabbat Zakhor | Vayikra
Parashat Vayikra inaugurates the book of Leviticus, the center(piece) of the Torah. Following immediately on the completion of the meticulously constructed Tabernacle (Mishkan) and its sumptuous appurtenances, it launches a set of instructions for how that sacred space was to function, and under whose authority. No wonder it was called in Rabbinic times 鈥淭orat Kohanim鈥濃�斺�渢he priests鈥� manual.鈥� This week thus presents an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between that Mishkan鈥攁nd all its successor institutions in Jewish life鈥攁nd spiritual quests.
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Standing at the Gates
Mar 19, 2021 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Commentary | Vayikra
In Kafka鈥檚 cryptic parable 鈥淏efore the Law,鈥� a man stands before a gate seeking entry into the Law. The gate is open, but at its side is a gatekeeper who refuses his request to enter. The man uses every stratagem that he can think of to gain the gatekeeper鈥檚 permission, but every attempt fails. This stalemate continues until the moment of death arrives.
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A Covenant of Salt
Mar 27, 2020 By Tim Daniel Bernard | Commentary | Vayikra
Covenant is a central concept in Judaism. The Torah and later tradition make clear that the people Israel have a special relationship with God, and Jews have acquired the epithet 鈥渢he chosen people鈥� (though Jewish particularism need not preclude other peoples having their own unique relationships with God). Rabbi David Hartman, 锄鈥漧, titled his exposition of Jewish theology A Living Covenant. Rabbi David Wolpe, in a speech at 91快播, proposed highlighting the mainstream ideological approach of Conservative Judaism by rebranding it as 鈥淐ovenantal Judaism.鈥�
Read MoreSacrificing Identities
Mar 15, 2019 By | Commentary | Vayikra
The early rabbinic midrash on the Book of Leviticus (Sifra) begins its interpretation of our parashah by asking the critical question: Who is a Jew? The Rabbis seek to clearly define who can participate in Temple worship and who cannot because the sacrifices are a key piece of the covenantal relationship with God. That means that participation in the sacrificial cult is emblematic of full Jewish citizenship and demarcates the borderlines between Jews and others.
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Leviticus on Love
Mar 16, 2018 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Vayikra
I was on a small cruise ship with my family in Alaska this summer, when a couple whom I had come to like and admire asked me with great respect a question that Jews have been been hearing from Christians for many centuries, one that had been put to me more than once by students at Stanford: 鈥淗ow can Jews worship the God of the Old Testament, so full of harsh judgment and wrath, and so unlike the God of the New Testament, who calls to human beings in love?鈥�
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