This week’s parasha will introduce a theme that will characterize much of the remaining narrative of Bamidbar. Chapters 11-25 contain a series of refusals on the part of Israel to accept authority. In chapter 12 even Miriam challenges Moses’ authority.…
Tag: Messianic
Nasso – Bless is More
Listen to an audio version… The Blessing We Never Outgrow This week’s parasha contains one of only two prescribed blessings in the entire Torah: the Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing. “Adonai bless you and keep you! Adonai make His face…
Shavuos All Over Again
Déjà Vu at Sinai Yankee Hall of Famer Yogi Berra was renowned for his unique and often comical way of turning a phrase. One expression that became part of the American lexicon was, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”…
Bamidbar – Making Souls Count
Counting More Than Numbers There is something both necessary and unsettling about a census. Most of us understand why governments conduct them. Demographic information helps determine where roads are built, where hospitals are needed, how schools are funded, and how…
Behar and Bechukotai – The Jubilee and the King: Proclaiming Liberty in the Lord
This week’s double Torah portion, Parashat Behar and Parashat Bechukotai (Leviticus 25–27), opens a window into the extraordinary generosity of Hashem. It reveals a God whose kindness is not confined to individual blessing but extends into the structures of society…
Acharei Mot – Bloody Confusion
Seeing the C Change Last week I found myself browsing in a bookstore, and I couldn’t help but notice something striking. The sections on Judaism and spirituality seemed to be shrinking, while entire walls were devoted to fantasy, supernatural romance,…
Tazria and Metzora – The Lightness of Grace
Seeing the Whole Person In this week’s Torah portions, Tazria and Metzora, we encounter the person afflicted with tzara’at, a condition that brings not only physical suffering but also deep social isolation. The Torah instructs that the afflicted individual be…
Passover – All Who Are Hungry?
Racial strife is nothing new. We sometimes speak as though our moment is uniquely fractured, as though division and suspicion are inventions of modernity. But the truth is more sobering. From the earliest days of human society, we have struggled…
Shabbat HaChodesh – It’s About Time
Time is the most elusive yet dominant concept in the human experience. We struggle to understand it and we struggle to control it, yet our endless awareness and fear of time lurks behind all our endeavors. So, we invent devices…
Terumah – God’s Presence in Our Homes, Hearts, and Worship
God’s Desire to Dwell Among Us The central question that runs through the book of Exodus is both simple and profound: “Is God with us or not?” This is not merely a theological inquiry but a practical one. For Israel…