Mindful Torah...and more

Dear Online Hevre /community, This week we read the double parashah /portion of Tazria-Metzora ( Leviticus 12:1 - 15:33). In the Torah portion Tazria , God describes to Moses and Aaron the procedures for identifying and responding to those infected with tzara'at , a skin disease often mistranslated as leprosy. In Metzora , God describes the purification ritual for those afflicted with tzara'at . This section of the Torah is often looked upon as archaic and problematic from a contemporary perspective. However, in a commentary by Cantor Max Axelrod he writes that “this part of the Torah may well be the most relevant, poignant, and emotionally powerful of the entire year. Rather than reading these chapters as esoteric excerpts out of a biblical medical textbook, the Torah is telling us something profound about the human condition. We can understand tzara’at as a metaphor for when a person’s body or health goes out of control— something many people deal with all the tim...

This week's parashah /portion Shemini ( Vayikra /Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47) begins with the last phase of the installation ceremony of Aaron and his sons as the Kohanim /High Priests in the Mishkan /Tabernacle which the Israelites constructed in order to worship God during their time of wandering in the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan.  During the installation ceremony Aaron and his sons perform the first animal sacrifices, which are consumed by fire coming from heaven. No sooner are the sacrifices completed, when two of Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu, decide to make sacrifices on their own, without being instructed by God or their father to do so.  When they bring “strange fire which God had not commanded” to the altar, fire again descends from the heavens, but this time it consumes Nadav and Avihu. This is a strange and troubling end to the narrative. And yet it is not the end of the parashah, for not long after it continues with a list of animals which are...

Dear Hevre /community, I hope everyone has been able to celebrate their Passover as best as possible during these difficult times. I know that many of us were able to have seders with those we are living currently or with others via video chat.  These seders make us both appreciate the miracles of modern communication techniques, connect with those who may live far away, and hope that we don't have to do this again next year! Below is a poem that I wrote for seder night last week. However, as we prepare for the end of Passover and continue our physical isolation from the world, I thought it was still appropriate to share. chag pesach sameach - may we each find a way to celebrate the end of the Passover holiday and every day during these challenging times. L'shalom-in peace, Rabbi Steve --------------------------- a night of waiting our ancestors sat in their homes waiting    for what    they did not know lambs blood on the doorpost ...

Dear Hevre /community, I know that I just posted something the day before yesterday in preparation for Passover/ Pesach , However, given the unique situation this year, I just felt the need to post once more before the first seder. As we know from the Passover story, the Israelites were freed from slavery after the tenth plague, the killing of the first born, having put lamb’s blood on their doorposts so the angel of death would “pass over” them. After leaving slavery, everything seemed fine until they reached the shore of the Sea of Reeds (previously mistranslated as the Red Sea), when they suddenly heard Pharaoh’s army approaching.  The Israelites were in fear at that moment. They didn’t know what to do. Even Moses was confounded, as he prayed to God to save them. A pillar of fire was the only thing standing between the people and Pharaoh’s army, with the sea on the other side. That moment was the perfect example of a liminal moment. One definition of liminal...