Mindful Torah...and more

This week’s parashah /portion is Vayikra (Leviticus 1:1- 5:26) In this Torah portion, the first in the book of Vayikra /Leviticus, we read the descriptions of the laws of animal sacrifice. God explains to Moses the different sacrifices that atone for guilt or sins, and distinguishes between sins committed inadvertently and sins committed on purpose. It would be easy to disregard this portion, as all animal sacrifices ended with the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE. However, in reading the parashah I found two topics that can be meaningful for us today, especially during the current time of physical isolation. The first was the meaning of sacrifice and how it connects with prayer today. The second is the concept of different types of sacrufices for intentional and inadvertent sins. After the destruction of the Temple the Jewish people relied on prayer instead of sacrifice. According to Maimonides (12th century Spain) in his philosophical treat...

I have not written any Torah commentaries for this blog in a very long time. However, the unique situation in which we find ourselves was the impetus I needed to get up off the couch and get back to writing (though, in reality, of course, I am actually writing this sitting on my living room couch because I'm stuck at home). Vayakhel-Pekudei  is a double  parashah /portion.  In  Vayakhel , God commands the Israelites not to do any work in the sanctuary on Shabbat. The Israelites gather gifts for God. Moses says that Ohaliab and Bezalel should take the gifts of the Israelites and build God’s Sanctuary.  In  Pekudei , Aaron and the priests are given their clothing for work in the Sanctuary. This marks the completion of the  Mishkan /Tabernacle construction. Moses anoints Aaron and his sons to make their priestly positions official. A cloud descends upon the Tent of Meeting, and God’s presence fills the Tabernacle. This is a time of transitions in the ...