Recent Weekly Torah

Love is Not the Opposite of Hate; Law is

Rabbi Bradley Artson
5762
by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson
posted on August 26, 2002
Torah Reading
Haftarah Reading
Human beings never seem able to express all their hatred for each other. Men and women war against each other; blacks and whites, gay and straight, liberals and conservatives, city-folk and suburbanites -- there is no end to stereotypes, hostility and mistrust. In response to this propensity to hate, Nobel laureate Elie Weisel organized an international conference on hate in Oslo, Norway. The glittering list of invited participants included four presidents, and 70 writers, scientists and academics.   Read more...

You Are Unique, And So Is Your Donkey

Rabbi Bradley Artson
5762
by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson
posted on July 21, 2002
Haftarah Reading
Ours is a culture which maintains a paradoxical relationship to individuality. On the surface, America is a place which elevates the rugged individual above all others. "It's you and me against the world, the popular song reminds us. By ourselves, we build our lives around initiative, energy and a willingness to break from the past. American democracy is robust and passionate about personal liberty. Our ideals may stress individualism, but our reality is starkly different.   Read more...

Do the Right Thing

Rabbi Bradley Artson
by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson
posted on July 21, 2002
Torah Reading
Haftarah Reading
When you think of the core teachings of Judaism, certain essentials quickly come to mind -- the liberation from Egyptian slavery, the 'Shema' declaring the uniqueness of God, the Ten Commandments, affirming a moral and sacred order to human existence, and the ensuing list of 'mitzvot' and 'halachah' (Jewish law), which implements the love relationship between God and the Jewish People.   Read more...

No Neutrality: Silence is Assent

Rabbi Bradley Artson
by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson
posted on July 15, 2002
Torah Reading
Haftarah Reading
So much goes on every day, that it seems impossible to keep up with the array of human activity. Troops march to different parts of the globe, unemployment and disease strike specific groups of people, natural disasters ravage a variety of communities, our environment succumbs to human greed, our politicians legislate, initiate and posture. With so many different activities occurring at the same time, all of them of vital importance, how can we possibly keep up?   Read more...

To See With the Heart

Rabbi Bradley Artson
5762
by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson
posted on July 14, 2002
Torah Reading
Haftarah Reading
In a remarkable story, the Torah relates the courage and the integrity of five women, known collectively as the daughters of Zelof'had. What makes this story remarkable is not only that the heroes are women, itself a rarity in the biblical age (and, alas, in our own as well!). What makes this tale truly astonishing is that it represents the earliest revision of biblical law. Here, within the Torah itself, God revises an earlier piece of divine legislation because of an overriding moral imperative.   Read more...