As I stood in the magnificent Magen Avot synagogue in Alibag, India, I felt the sweat trickle down the side of my face. Though it was hot, the sweat was born out of nervousness and intense regret, not the sweltering heat. The High Holidays were around the corner and I was at the synagogue teaching …
Read MoreParashat Beha’alotcha contains one of the many episodes of grumbling during the Israelites’ journey through the desert. Lamenting their limited diet of manna, they nostalgically remember the variety of food they ate in Egypt. A close look at their complaint, and the symbolism of the foods they crave, can shed light on the contemporary issue of global hunger and the current debate over how international food aid from the United States should be delivered.
Read MoreParashat Vayikra catalogues the slicing, pinching, quartering, flaying, scooping, sprinkling and burning that comprised ancient Israel’s practice of korbanot—sacrifices offered in expiation, celebration or thanksgiving to God. Ritual sacrifice was a thoroughly hands-on affair, with both offeror and priest physically participating in the labor. Such gritty involvement in the process must have channeled primal drives …
Read MoreParashat Vayakhel-Pekudei describes the first major public construction project of the Jewish people—the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The text emphasizes the truly communal nature of the project as the Israelites freely donated the construction materials—gold, silver, yarn, linen, animal skins, acacia wood, etc. In fact, the Israelites contributed so enthusiastically that they amassed a surplus of materials and Moses had to ask them to stop bringing donations.
Read MoreParashat Vayakhel-Pekudei describes the first major public construction project of the Jewish people—the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The text emphasizes the truly communal nature of the project as the Israelites freely donated the construction materials—gold, silver, yarn, linen, animal skins, acacia wood, etc. In fact, the Israelites contributed so enthusiastically that they amassed a surplus of materials and Moses had to ask them to stop bringing donations.
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