Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

One of the arguments separating different contemporary communities of Jews is the contention about who (or Who) wrote the Torah.  Is the Torah the direct transcript of the words of God to Moses at Sinai, so that each and every word recorded in that book is the speech of God literally?  Or is the Torah a human book, remarkable perhaps, but human nonetheless?    Read more...

Parashat Tetzaveh uncovers a lengthy description of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) and the sacred garments of the Kohanim (the Priests) who will minister there.  At the end of that description, the Torah explains that  the purpose of the Mishkan is, from God's perspective, that "there I will meet with the Israelites, and it shall be sanctified  by My Presence." So far, there is nothing remarkable about this passage.  Many generations of commentators have noted, in the words of the Talmud, that the purpose of the mitzvot found in the Torah is to refine humanity.  Conse Read more...

Sitting in my e-mail in-box at the moment is an announcement from the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, telling me that "February is Inclusion Awareness Month." Included in the e-mail is a link to textual and other resources that rabbis can use to teach about this topic, including this passage from Maimonides, in his codification of the Laws of Torah Study: "Every man in Israel is obligated in the study of Torah, whether he is rich or poor, whether he is whole-bodied or afflicted, whether he is a young man or a very elderly man whose strength has failed..." Leaving aside the limitatio Read more...

Every February, Americans send each other cards with fat little winged kids and big red hearts. The kids flutter around, shooting silly looking arrows, while the cards often float on boxes of chocolates or bouquets of flowers. Valentine's Day is not only an annual celebration of romance, it's also a big industry, "when you care enough to spend the very best."   Read more...

Our society offers an array of temptations to titillate every taste. Sex, money, power, fame--all beckon and entice. We are so accustomed to the corruption of our leadership that we are no longer surprised when a politician is caught in a restroom or in his office with a teen intern or page, or when a famous televangelist is found in a hotel room with a prostitute. Our newspapers routinely inform us of legislators who accepted bribes or who intervened on behalf of disreputable but wealthy supporters. Read more...