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Knowing God vs Playing God: Emor

Knowing God vs Playing God Emor: Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23 The beginning verses in this week’s Torah portion are rather challenging to our current understanding of spirituality. They define an impossibly strict code of holiness for the priestly caste. In reading...

The Pursuit of Holiness: Kedoshim

The Pursuit of Holiness Kedoshim: Leviticus 19:1 – 20:27 The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the entire Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God, am holy. [Lev. 19:1-2] Most rabbinic and scholarly...

Passover Reflections: April 19-28, 2019

Mandatory Generosity at Our Seder Tonight, at our first Passover Seder, we will begin telling the story of our exodus from Egypt raising the matzah and saying in one voice: Ha lachma anya… This is the bread of affliction, the bread of simplicity, which our ancestors...

Torah Reflections: April 12, 2019

Metzora Leviticus 14:1 – 15:33 The Liberating Power of Generosity This week marks the beginning of our Passover preparation. This spring cleaning is both an outer process of emptying our homes of the forbiddenchametz (product made of leavened wheat, barley, rye,...

Torah Reflections: March 24 – 30, 2019

Sh’mini Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47   What is God’s Will For Me? Why Are We Here? Growing up, I always had difficulties, with the concept of “doing God’s will” that my rabbis often spoke of. Somehow, I was supposed to do “God’s will” in all my daily...