Mindful Torah...and more

שיתו לבכם לחילה פסגו ארמנותיה למען תספרו לדור אחרון׃ Note well her fortified walls; pass through her palaces that you may tell of them to the next generation. In my commentary of verse 13, I discussed how we build walls as boundaries around heart and soul .   However, as I stated, we need to make these boundaries the right strength so that they protect us, but also allow others in.   This is all part of maintaining a balance and preventing the ego from taking control and alienating us. In verse 14, we are at first commanded, literally, to “place in our hearts” the city’s fortified walls.   An expression meaning to ‘note well’ or ‘pay attention,’ it reminds us that we can’t simply ignore the fortified walls that we have built around our own holy city and around our heart.   For if we do not acknowledge the existence of the walls, then that will allow the ego to continue building them unchecked.   This will eventually lead to a state when we are wa...

This week's parashah /portion is Mishpatim ( Shemot /Exodus 21:1 – 24:18). The parashah is the beginning of what is referred to as the "Book of the Covenant."   The contents of the parashah are instructions given to Moses by God while still on Mount Sinai; it is the first series of detailed laws to be given following the speaking of the Ten Commandments.   It includes laws on how to treat slaves and lists the penalties for various crimes. All of these laws are meant to provide a structure for the Israelite people. For this is a people that had only known slavery and now they must be taught the rules and regulations of a free society. Without these, they might assume that freedom was equivalent to anarchy and havoc would ensue (just think of the Golden Calf incident which takes place while Moses is still on Sinai receiving all of these laws). In reading these laws it has always fascinated me that the first law given is concerning how to treat a Hebrew ...

The week's parashah is Yitro ( Shemot /Exodus 18:1-20:23). It begins,  "And Yitro (Jethro), father-in-law of Moses, heard all that God had done to Moses and to Israel his people, that God had taken Israel out of Egypt." The parashah then continues with Yitro's advice to Moses that he not take on the duty of judging the people's grievances alone, but appoint judges to help him. Finally, it  reaches a climax with the central event of our religious mythology, the giving of the law/Torah at Sinai. It is at Sinai that the ragtag bunch of former slaves finally covenant themselves to God as a people. At Sinai the nation/people of Israel is born. Whether or not one believes in Sinai as an historical event, does not concern me. For what matters is not the historical veracity of the narrative, but rather, the "Truth" within; the spiritual message that it is meant to teach. I believe that the ancient rabbis too cared more about the inner truth than the ...

These week’s parashah /portion is Beshallakh ( Shemot /Exodus 13:17-18:1) As I sat down to write this week’s commentary, I knew I wanted to connect it in some way with the tragic events this past Saturday in Tucson.  However, how to do this, while still being true to the basic concept of this blog was somewhat perplexing to me. And so, in good mindfulness fashion, I read through the text and sat to see what thoughts or ideas arose in my mind.  After all, the parashah begins with the Israelites leaving, continues with the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the drowning of Pharaoh’s army and ultimately also deals with the people complaining to Moses in the desert about water and food, leading to the first fall of manna from heaven and God directing Moses to strike the rock in order to get water.  So much material However, some verses jumped out at me as I reread the text. I have decided that I will simply write down the verses first and then see what happens. That ...

סבו ציון והקיפוה ספרו מגדליה Walk around Zion, and encircle her; count (“tell of”) her towers. In my commentaries on the last few verses, I focused on the divine/human attributes of tzedek /righteousness and hesed /overflowing love, as the attributes that connect humanity on earth (i.e., the “earthly Jerusalem”) with the heavenly realm (“heavenly Jerusalem”).  Now in this verse, we are requested to walk about and survey Jerusalem and then to either “tell of” or “count” her towers (the Hebrew verb ס-פ-ר can be translated either way). As the psalm nears its conclusion, it is as if the Psalmist is instructing us to survey the results of the actions we have taken.  Now that we have connected ourselves with the heavenly realm, thereby bringing peace and joy into our world, we must walk around “Jerusalem” and see the results of our actions. We are told both to “walk around” (סבו) and “encircle” (הקיפו) the city.  Though these two almost synonymous, but not quite.  ...

This week's parashah /portion, Bo ( Shemot /Exodus 10:1 - 13:16), includes within it the final three plagues brought against Egypt.   We also read of the first Passover Seder meal, observed by the Israelites as the horror of the tenth plague coursed through Egypt. It ends with the Israelites setting forth by the light of the full moon on their journey out of Egypt and into freedom and the unknown. The story is so familiar. Yet, as with all narratives of the Torah, if one pays attention to the text one can find a myriad of new truths within. And just as no two people are exactly alike, neither are two truths. The truth of which I became aware while reading the parashah was sparked by my initial misreading of a commentary on chapter 12, verses 31-32. After the horror of the tenth plague has been visited on Egypt, Moses and Aaron are summoned to Pharaoh's house. Pharaoh then says to them, "Up, depart from among my people, you and the Israelites with yo...