Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

Judaism is a religion of faith. It is also a religion of behavior – and not just in contemporary times, but in ancient days and everlasting. In this week’s Torah portion, Shemini, the Torah says: “And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: Drink no wine or other intoxicants, you or your sons, when you enter the Tent of Meeting, that you may not die. This is a law for all time throughout the ages, for you must distinguish between the sacred and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the laws which the Read more...

“And God spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Command your brother and his sons regarding the Torah of the offerings.” (Leviticus 6:1-2) Mitzvah is one of the foundational words of Jewish life. Its root comes from the verb which is the name of this week’s parasha: Tzav, “command.” Despite its colloquial usage as “good deed,” mitzvah really means “commandment”—a holy edict, meant to give shape and substance to what it means to live as a member of the Jewish covenant.  Read more...

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“And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks – as the Lord had commanded, so they had done – Moses blessed them.”  (Exodus 39:43) Read more...

This derasha is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Deborah Labovitz, but you will have to read on if you want to know why. Read more...