Why Do Jews Still Adhere to the Torah鈥檚 Covenant?
May 7, 2021 By Jeremy Tabick | Commentary | Behar | Behukkotai
Why do we, as Jews, have fealty to the Torah? Why do many of us feel bound by the Torah鈥檚 laws?
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Struggling to Celebrate
Apr 30, 2021 By Naomi Kalish | Commentary | Emor
While Parashat Emor contains one of the Torah鈥檚 discussions of holidays and instructions for their observances, rabbinic literature provides guidance for their observance in the context of the complexities of the participants鈥� lives, even those who might be struggling to celebrate.
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The Palace of Torah Expanded: 15 Years Later
Apr 23, 2021 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Aharei Mot | Kedoshim
For many modern readers, engaging with Torah presents a paradox. Biblical and rabbinic voices reaching us from the distant past are like starlight emitted millennia ago鈥攂rilliant and often shockingly current, but also artifacts from light sources that may have dimmed or even expired. This paradox can be constructive, drawing modern readers out of our own cultural assumptions, challenging us to notice wonders that we might otherwise miss. The Torah鈥檚 poetry, its stirring demands for justice, and its vast system of devotional rites prime us for faith and sanctity. And when we encounter a Torah text that rings false or hurtful, we may use that encounter to clarify our own understanding, to articulate our community鈥檚 sacred values.
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The Values of a Jewish Home
Apr 16, 2021 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Metzora | Tazria | Yom Hazikaron-Yom Ha'atzma'ut
In the precious days 鈥淏efore the Coronavirus Era鈥� (B.C.E.), the parshiyot of Tazria-Metzora seemed wholly disconnected from our lives, presenting the perennial challenge of relevance (or irrelevance) to even the most talented darshan (sermonizer). How are we to connect leprous plagues attacking both body and abode to our daily lives? And to what extent does the experience of quarantine resonate with our modern reality? These are only two of the many questions that we would have posed in a pre-Covid world.
The Seed of the Rabbinic Revolution
Apr 9, 2021 By | Commentary | Shemini
How important is intention in Jewish law? Do I need to be mentally present when performing commandments, or is it enough to go through the motions and get it done? How often does the Torah care about what I鈥檓 thinking? For many of us the answers to these questions would seem obvious: Of course, God demands active engagement with the commandments! Why are mitzvot worth doing if I鈥檓 not going to be mindful in their performance? In reality, these answers are a product of the revolutionary interpretations of the Torah by the early rabbinic sages.
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Learning from God to Anticipate the Reactions of Others
Apr 2, 2021 By Walter Herzberg | Commentary | Pesah
Why do we eat matzah on Passover? According to the instructions that God conveyed to Israel prior to the Exodus we eat matzah because we are commanded: 鈥淪even days you shall eat unleavened bread (matzot)鈥� (Exod. 12:15). However, according to Exod. 12:39, where the narrative of the events is related, we eat matzah because the Israelites, having been driven out of Egypt, were unable to linger to allow time for the dough to rise: 鈥淎nd they baked unleavened cakes (matzot) . . . because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not tarry.鈥� If so, why does the Torah present the mitzvah (the command) before the Exodus has actually taken place?
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A Holiday of Contradictory Emotions
Mar 26, 2021 By Shuly Rubin Schwartz | Commentary | Shabbat Hagadol | Pesah
Preparing to celebrate our second Pesah under the grip of a global pandemic, our hearts are filled with both sadness and hope. No one has been untouched by COVID-19. We鈥檙e grieving a loved one, friend, or neighbor whose life was cut short. We鈥檙e experiencing its social and economic toll鈥攐vertaxed first responders, teachers, and food providers; overwhelming social isolation; devastating financial insecurity鈥攁ll exacerbated by underlying inequities. Thankfully, millions have received the vaccine, though many have yet to receive it, and new variants temper our expectations.
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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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