Mindful Torah...and more

This week's torah portion is Tzav ( Vayikra /Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36). In it the detailed descriptions of the various sacrifices to be offered continues. I would like to focus on one particular sacrifice and what we might learn from it today. The final sacrifice mentioned in the parashah is the zevakh shelamim . This is usually translated as the "peace offering" or "good-will offering.” The word shelamim comes from the same root as shalom /peace and shalem /whole. One contemporary understanding of this sacrifice is as an offering of greeting. According to Baruch Levine and other scholars, it was a meal shared between the priests, the people who brought the offering and God. In other words, through sharing a sacred meal there was a connection being made between the people, the priests and the Divine. Not only was this a meal of greeting, but the sharing of the sacrificial animal could also bring a sense of peace and wholeness that was a direct result of ...

Dear online community, I wrote the following commentary for this past Shabbat and for some reason unknown to even me, I never published it. So I hope you enjoy it (or that it at least makes you think) even though it is a little late, though it is certainly still quite timely and relevant! L'shalom, SPN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In general, I try to steer clear of politics in my commentaries. However, the intersection of politics and religion has become such a dominant theme in our society as of late, I felt like I finally needed to add my voice to the discussion. However, in no way do I support the idea that our government's policies should be based in any way on religious teachings. On the contrary, I believe strongly in the separation of church and state as a sacred tenet of America's founding. Yet, I do believe that religious values and beliefs can and do shape the opinions of our politicians and that r...

This week's parashah /portion is tetzaveh ( Shemot / Exodus 27:20 – 30:10). In addition, this Shabbat , which falls just before the festival of Purim, is also called Shabbat Zakhor – the Sabbath of Remembrance. It takes its name from the special additional portion traditionally read from the Torah this week. This portion commands us " Zakhor /Remember what Amalek did to you on your way out from Egypt." Amalek has long been viewed as the archetypal eternal enemy of Israel. According to the narrative in Shemot / Exodus, the nation of Amalek attacked the Israelites while on their journey through the desert. Eventually, they were defeated, with the help of God, as well as Moses having his hands hands held up in the air. As long as they were being held up, the Israelites were victorious. If he were allowed to let them down, the tide would turn. This is read just prior to Purim because Haman,the villain of the Purim story found in the Biblical Book of Esther who tried...