Torah Reflections
Each week, Rabbi Olivier prepares a written reflection on the weekly Torah portion. These provide yet another way to discover the texts sacred to Judaism and to prepare for Shabbat each week.
When Korach Takes Over
Korach Numbers 16:1 - 18:32 At the end of last week’s parashah, Sh’lach L’cha, the Israelites were at the edge of the Promised Land. Twelve tribal leaders went to scope out the land and when they returned they advised, ten against two, that the tribes should remain in...
The Key to the Promised Land
Sh'lach L'cha Numbers 13:1 - 15:41 For forty days and forty nights the scouts sent by Moses gathered information and sampled the local fruits in the Promised Land. Upon their return, Caleb and Joshua encouraged the people to enter and conquer the land, but the other...
God, the Eye of All Things
B'haalot'cha Numbers 8:1 - 12:16 It seems like every time we turn the page in the biblical story of our people, they are complaining about their situation in the wilderness. This time it’s the monotony of the same food, day in and day out, that has them fantasizing...
The True Purpose of Blessing
Naso Numbers 4:21 - 7:89 In the middle of Parashat Naso we happen upon one of the central blessings of our tradition: The Eternal spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron and to his sons: Thus shall you bless the children of Israel. Say to them: The Eternal One...
The Evolving God of Our Understanding
B'har - B'chukotai Leviticus 25:1 - 27:34 The second of this week's double Torah portion, B’chukotai, opens with several promises predicated on our performance of the laws and commandments set down in Torah. “I will establish My abode with you… I will be ever present...
Knowing God vs. Playing God
Emor Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23 Sometimes the Holiness Code in the Book of Leviticus seems so foreign to our modern understanding of spirituality that it’s a real challenge to comprehend the underlying principles. Such is the case with the opening verses of Parashat...
How Will We Answer the Call
VaYikra Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26 “VaYikra el Mosheh vaYedaber YHVH elav me-ohel moed. —He called to Moses. The Eternal One spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting.” (Lev. 1:1) Thus begins the Book of Leviticus. In all of Torah, there are only three instances when Moses is...
To The End of The Universe
Tzav Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36 The opening verses of Parashat Tsav that usually lend themselves to rabbinic reflections about kindling new light in our hearts, have received a very different interpretation in the Kabbalistic tradition. “This is the ritual of the burnt...
Building The Inner Tabernacle
Pekudei Exodus 38:21 - 40:38 In the final verses of Exodus, the Israelites build all the many pieces of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, which Moses will assemble at a later time. The S’fat Emet, i.e. the Alter Rebbe of Ger, comments that many of these verses echo, in...
Freedom Through Compassion
Bo Exodus 10:1 - 13:16 Parashat Bo opens with the last four plagues to befall Egypt as part of the Divine liberation plan. Plague after plague, Pharaoh first reluctantly acquiesces to Moses’ latest plea to let his people go and then changes his mind when God “hardens...
Many Faces of God
VaEira Exodus 6:2 - 9:35 Parashat VaEira opens with a compelling affirmation: “God (Elohim) spoke to Moses and said to him: ‘I Am the Eternal (YHVH)’” (Ex. 6:2). I often wonder exactly how people understand this powerful statement. That opening phrase, “God spoke to...
The Four (Jewish) Noble Truths
Vayigash Genesis 44:18 - 47:27 In the middle of this parashah comes the critical moment when Jacob/Israel and his clan descend into Egypt, setting the stage for what will unfold next: enslavement, suffering, redemption, and revelation. Following their encounter with...