Boundaries on the Move
Aug 2, 2019 By Benjamin D. Sommer | Commentary | Masei | Mattot
Every week, we read a parashah from the Torah during our Shabbat morning service, and then the beginning of the next parashah during our Shabbat afternoon service. The result of reading from two parashiyot on a single day can be surprising. This week, as we read first from Masei, the last parashah of Numbers, and then from Devarim, the first from Deuteronomy, we can hear an ancient debate about an issue that remains deeply contested: where to draw the line.
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In the Face of Violence, a Covenant of Peace
Jul 26, 2019 By Marc Gary | Commentary | Pinehas
Karen Armstrong, the scholar of religion and popular author of such works as The History of God, relates that wherever she travels, she is often confronted by someone鈥攁 taxi driver, an Oxford academic, an American psychiatrist鈥攚ho confidently expresses the view that 鈥渞eligion has caused more violence and wars than anything else.鈥� This is quite a remarkable statement given that in the last century alone, tens of millions of people have been killed in two world wars, the communist purges in the Soviet Union and its satellites, and the Cambodian killing fields of the Khmer Rouge, none of which were caused by religious motivations.
The Sorcery in Our Midst
Jul 20, 2019 By Jonathan Milgram | Commentary | Balak
In this week鈥檚 Torah reading, Parashat Balak, we read a riveting story of the diviner, Balaam, who was commissioned by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites (Num. 22:2鈥�24:25). Balak鈥檚 goal was to weaken the Israelites, encamped at the borders of Moab, so that he could defeat them in battle. Balaam is richly and, at times, inconsistently described in our detailed narrative. Part of the story鈥檚 complexity is due to the historical fact that two narratives about Balaam were conflated in the finally redacted text of the Bible.
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Handling Our Anger
Jul 12, 2019 By Abigail Uhrman | Commentary | Hukkat
Among the many stories in Parashat Hukkat, perhaps the most discussed is when Moses, in response the Israelites鈥� grievances, is instructed by God to 鈥渙rder the rock to yield its water.鈥� Moses, instead, strikes the rock twice with his rod. Water comes forth, but God rebukes Moses for disobeying his instructions: 鈥淏ecause you did not trust Me enough to affirm my sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, there you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them鈥� (Num. 20:2鈥�13).
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How to Challenge Authority
Jul 5, 2019 By Rachel Rosenthal | Commentary | Korah
When is it appropriate to challenge a leader? While this week鈥檚 parashah, Korah, is perhaps the most dramatic attempt to answer this question in the Torah, this question percolates from the beginning of Moses鈥檚 tenure. At first glance, the answer would seem to be that Moses should never be challenged. As God鈥檚 chosen leader, the Israelites should submit to his authority in all cases. After all, things end badly for those who do not follow this course, as the story of Korah shows.
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The Power of One
Jun 28, 2019 By Judith Hauptman | Commentary | Shelah Lekha
This week鈥檚 parashah, Shelah Lekha, opens with the famous episode of twelve scouts going on a reconnaissance mission to the land of Israel. As most of us know the story, upon their return, ten of them recommend returning to Egypt, whereas just two, Joshua and Caleb, encourage the Israelites to continue their journey to the Promised Land. When we look at the verses of chapter 13, we discover that that is not exactly what they say.
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Modeling Behavior for the Sake of Humankind
Jun 21, 2019 By Walter Herzberg | Commentary | Text Study | Beha'alotekha
In the last narrative in Parashat Beha鈥檃lotehkha, it seems that Miriam and Aaron are speaking against their brother Moses鈥攖hough the nature of the complaint is far from clear. Whatever the complaint may be, God summons Miriam and Aaron and takes them to task for not being 鈥渁fraid to speak against My servant Moses.鈥�
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How We Build Character
Jun 14, 2019 By Marjorie Lehman | Commentary | Naso
Parashat Naso begins with the appointment of the Levite families of Gershon and Merari to take care of the Mishkan, the Israelites鈥� portable sanctuary in the desert. While Aaron and his family were given the responsibility of overseeing the actual service of God in the Mishkan, the descendants of Gershon and Merari were defined as mere helpers, charged with the role of caring for the structure of the Mishkan, its cloths, its equipment, its posts and their sockets, its planks, pegs, and furnishings.
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