Welcome to the spring which has not yet arrived… With this Shabbat we begin the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus), the third Book of the Torah. The initial chapters of Vayikra detail the various sacrifices central to Jewish ritual in antiquity. During our upcoming Seder, we will place a shank bone on the Seder plate; symbolic
Shabbat HaChodesh and Watching Watch #1 Your lamb shall be without blemish…You shall keep watch (mishmeret) over it until the fourteenh day of this month… Exodus 12: 5,6 Watch #2 That was for God a night of vigil (layl shmurim)to bring them out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 12: 42 Watch #3 that same
This week, college basketball aficionados celebrate the annual festival known as March Madness; the tournament which ultimately crowns the top college basketball team in the U.S. March Madness began yesterday and today; with the first round of sixty four teams eligible and eager to advance to the next round. For the uninitiated: The teams...
Yet another introductory note from the Rabbi: Lest you think I am being serious, keep in mind that Saturday night is Purim. We have a tradition of Purim Torah; writing humorous (or attempted humorous) comments about the holiday. The following column attempts to follow in this comical tradition. A disclaimer: The pizza image above has...
Parashat Terumah: Protecting Our Holy Places As Israeli soldiers jubilantly entered the Old City during the Six Day War, one soldier recorded the historic sequence of events. With great emotion, he narrated the march through Lion’s Gate; enroute to the Western Wall. Despite all the emotion, sense of elation and ongoing...
Mishpatim and a Not So Benign Subject Part of my professional responsibility is to inspire thought; and not to necessarily seek agreement. If a topic (especially a controversial one) leads to candid and open discussion or scrutiny; there is generally room for open mindedness and flexibility among the participants. Sadly, too much of...