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May 16, 2025, 5:25 PM

Emor: Holy Days

'Above the Clouds' by Taylor Van Riper (2017)

Within the passages of Emor, the Jewish calendar takes shape, G-d laying out a yearly cycle constructed around pillars of holiness, the ’מועדי ה, ‘the fixed times of G-d’ (Leviticus 23:2). These fixed times consist of the festivals of...

Apr 24, 2025, 1:30 PM

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach on Eretz Yisrael

Question: Why do we not make a Beracha on fulfilling the mitzvah of living in Israel ישוב ארץ ישראל? Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (RSZA): In order that our living in it should not seem like a burden עול since we...

Micah Ben David Naziri

Apr 22, 2025, 10:41 AM

Black Hebrew Israelite Paternal Jewishness Claim Debunked

The Hebrew Israelite and Black Hebrew Israelite movements are as diverse as they are controversial, but one thing that remains a point of contention between most of them and normative Judaism and Jewry (the same word in Hebrew, it...

Mar 14, 2025, 5:15 AM

Meeting Leah, The Undervalued Matriarch

Image courtesy of The Getty Museum and supplied by Hadassah.

I’ve been thinking about Leah a good bit lately. Jewish tradition recognizes Leah as a matriarch—along with sister Rachel, mother-in-law Rebecca, and grandmother-in-law Sarah. Many liberal prayer books list these four matriarchs—שָׂרָה, רִבְקָה, לֵאָה וְרָחֵל—after the three patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac...

Mar 9, 2025, 12:26 AM

Tetzaveh: Illumination

Photo by Marcus Dall Col via Unsplash (2016)

Embroidered with an image of eternal light, Tetzaveh’s opens with the commandment for the Israelites to bring pure olive oil to the Mishkan למאור להעלת נר תמיד, ‘to light the lamp constantly’ (Ex. 27:20). Appearing suddenly, this verse is...

Mar 5, 2025, 9:06 PM

Terumah: The First Synagogue

'Entry of a Synagogue in Jerusalem' by Levi Meir Clancy (2021)

ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. (Ex.25:8) Filled with intricate detail, Terumah introduces us to the Mishkan or the Tabernacle, the precursor to the Bet HaMikdash in which the nomadic...

Feb 21, 2025, 8:07 AM

Mishpatim: Empathy

Photo by Denisse Leon (2018)

Mishpatim opens, in media res, with laws pertaining to how one must keep and treat one’s servants. It is a curious thing to begin with, given the previous parashiot’s overarching emphasis on the theme of freedom. Here, rather than...

Feb 17, 2025, 12:18 AM

Yitro: Experiencing G-d

Mount Sinai via Wikipedia

The revelatory moment at Mt. Sinai in which the Jewish people receive the Ten Commandments is central to Jewish history, belief and thought. It is a moment of unique magnificence, marked by G-d’s direct interaction with the Jewish people...

Roger D. Isaacs

Feb 14, 2025, 12:06 AM

The Ephod and the Skilled Craftsmanship Behind It

Bezalel by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French 1836-1902), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The ephod, an important item worn by the high priest in ancient Israel, was constructed by skilled artisans under the guidance of master craftsmen Bezalel and Oholiab. These men were chosen for their expertise, and they were tasked with creating...

Feb 7, 2025, 6:14 PM

Beshalach: True Freedom

Photo by Peter Kang via Unsplash

Moving through the desert, the freed Israelites find their source of food in G-d’s manna, the ground around them being covered in dew overnight, waiting to be baked into bread. The Torah is very specific, however, that ביום הששי...

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