December 13, 2024 ()
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December 13, 2024 ()
A short reflection on Tazria (Leviticus 12:1 – 13:59) This week’s Torah portion, Tazria, purports to be about post-birth purification rituals and skin diseases. In actuality, the section about skin diseases is a treatise on gossip. Our tradition teaches that speaking evilly about others brings on a rash called tza’ra’at. In other words, if you […]
A short reflection on Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47) We are all human so we all stumble at some point in our lives. If and when our stumble is discovered, we pay the price for our actions through repentance and transformation, and then, hopefully, we move forward leaving the past behind. But, on occasion, the actions we take haunt […]
A short reflection on Tzav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36) How often have you been “commanded” to do something? We are “asked” to do something or “told” to do something but infrequently does anyone come to us and say “I command you to….”. It’s a word used by gods and kings and is seldom taken lightly. Command, though, is exactly […]
A short reflection on Vayikra (Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26) This week, we start a new section of the Torah, Vayikra, aka Leviticus aka the Book of Priestly Laws. For those of you who love stories this isn’t the book for you. There’s no Adam and Eve eating forbidden apples, no Abraham wandering around having adventures in the […]
A short reflection on Pikudei (Exodus 38:21-40:38) We were slaves during our stay in Egypt. Slaves don’t get “cushy” jobs. No cappuccino breaks, or chairs with lumbar support or the latest technology. What do slaves get? Just a lot of hard, backbreaking work. Slaves typically do the tasks that no one else wants to do. In Egypt, […]
A short reflection on Vayak’heil (Exodus 35:1- 38:20) Tomorrow night is our gala where we will be honoring two very special couples, Terri and Rob Mulein and Laura and Glenn Rabney. When I think of people who know how to give from their hearts, it is the four of them. They have been a true example of […]
A short reflection on Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11- 34:35) According to this week’s Torah portion Ki Tisa, two sets of the Ten Commandments were created. The first set of tablets was the work of God. Moses went up to the top of Mount Sinai, God wrote down the rules while Moses hung out. Once God was […]
A short reflection on Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20−30:10) We see them in every sanctuary, in every synagogue, and every temple. I’m not talking about rabbis, cantors, congregants or B’nai Mitzvah students. I’m referring to that which hangs over the ark and is always lit. If you guessed the Ner Tamid, you’d be right. Ner Tamid is the […]
A short reflection on Terumah (Exodus 25:1-27:19) When I think of a cherub, my imagination conjures up images of a slightly pudgy and very jolly angel the size of a three year old. With a bow and arrow in his hand, he is ready to use his weapon to create love between two people. It’s an […]
A short reflection on Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18) Have you ever thought about laws prior to the writing of the Torah? In those days, if someone stole a possession from someone else, punishment was not based upon what was taken but upon the station of the victim. If you stole from a king, your punishment would be […]
