Mindful Torah...and more

Dear Hevre/community, This week we read in synagogue a double portion/ parashah  od  Acharei Mot/Kedoshim .   Acharei Mot  means “after death,” as it takes place following the death of Aaron's two sons Nadav and Avihu. The parashah consists of ethical and ritual laws concerning, sacrifice, Yom Kippur rituals, dietary restrictions and sexual prohibitions. These laws were an integral part of creating a new society/ The second  parashah   is  Kedoshim , which means holiness.  It includes the Holiness Code of Leviticus/ Vayikra  Chapter 19. In this code we are given a series of commandments and laws which given to teach that we are all meant to be holy because God is holy, and we are created in God's image. And so the essence of the text is the creation of a society based on holiness which is not only dedicated to God, but who imitate God. Throughout the Torah we are commanded to be a people erable: the orphan, the widow and the stranger ...

Dear Online Hevra/community, I apologize for posting this so late. I wrote it for this past Shabbat as a response to the recent violence in Baltimore and elsewhere.  I had meant to clean it up a little and post it right after Shabbat, but somehow it took a little longer.   I hope you find this meaningful in the face of recent events. L'shalom, SPN ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This week we read in synagogue a double portion/ parashah  from the Torah called  Acharei Mot/Kedoshim .   Acharei Mot means “after death”. It consists of ethical and ritual laws concerning, sacrifice, Yom Kippur rituals, dietary restrictions and sexual prohibitions. These laws, which were part of creating a new society built on laws and justice, were given “after the death” of Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu, hence the name of the parashah . The second parashah   is  Kedoshim , which means holiness. ...

I often procrastinate. But this week I waited until the very last minute to write this commentary (so if you find more typos or other errors, you will know why!). It was as if I believed that if I kept putting it off, the events unfolding this week in Boston would somehow disappear, become resolved or I would suddenly awaken from this nightmare. But, of course this is not the case. Nor is it the case that I am at a loss for words. On the contrary. Words, thoughts and feelings have been flooding my mind all day today and for every day since the horrific events at the Boston Marathon occurred on Monday. But what words shall I impart to others? How can I say anything meaningful in the face of such evil and tragedy? I know I've done it before. I remember the first sermon I ever gave on the face of evil in our world. The year was 1995 and I referenced an article about the existence of evil in our world that was in the NY Times magazine. That article focused ...

This week we read the double portion/ parashah of Aharei Mot-Kedoshim ( Vayikra /Leviticus 16:1-20). These two portions contain numerous mitzvot / commandments, some of which make sense to us today, some which don't, and some which are totally antithetical to what we view as righteousness and justice. This includes the "holiness code" in chapter 19 which includes the commandment "you shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God, am holy" as well as "you shall love your fellow human being as yourself."  This section is viewed by our tradition as the center of the Torah.  Indeed, it is actually located almost at the center of the scroll itself.                                               Though some of the prohibitions in the parashah...