Mindful Torah...and more

This week's parashah /portion is Ki Tavo ( Devarim / Deuteronomy 26:1 -29:8). The opening words, from which the parashah takes it's name mean "when you enter," and refers to the ritual that the people are meant to enact when they enter the Promised Land and bring their first fruits as an offering. When the people bring the basket of first fruits to the priest we read (translation by Richard Elliot Friedman): "And the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down in front of the altar of YHWH, your God. And you shall answer and say in front of YHWH, your God:   My father was a perishing Aramean, so he went down to Egypt and resided there with few persons and became a big, powerful and numerous nation there. And the Egyptians were bad to us and degraded us and imposed hard work on us. And we cried out to YHWH ... And YHWH brought us out from Egypt ... to this place and gave us this land ... and now, here, I've brought the fir...

I just wanted to drop a short line to my faithful readers (no pun intended).  As some of you may know, I have been in the throes of ending one job, beginning a new one and preparing to move. That is why I  have not had the time or energy to write a meaningful commentary these last few weeks. I will resume in the near future. In the meantime, I leave Amherst, MA today for Hamilton, NY, where I will be the Associate Chaplain and Director of Jewish Life at Colgate University.  I am thrilled about this new position.  The school and the people there are really wonderful, and I've no doubt it will be a great place to work.  But regardless, transitions are always difficult.  So I am trying to practice what I preach and be mindfully in the moment as I embark on this new adventure. See you soon in the blogosphere! B'shalom, spn PS I am still available to visit people's communities as a teacher or scholar/artist in-residence, so please feel free to contact ...

This week we read Parshat D'varim the first parashah (portion) in the book of D'varim /Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22). The Book of D'varim consists primarily of three addresses that Moses makes to the people of Israel before he dies and they enter the Promised Land. These addresses are part spiritual preparation, part ethical will and part reminder and warning. During his first address, Moses reminds the Israelites of  40 years earlier at Kadesh-barnea , when he sent 12 spies to scout out the Promised Land. However, the version he tells here differs greatly from the original telling in Be'midbar/ Numbers (13:1-14:45). In the original telling God commands Moses to appoint one scout from each of the 12 tribes to reconnoiter the land and bring back a report. When they return, they all agree that the land is flowing with milk and honey. However, 10 out of the 12 spies report that the people there are like giants and that they will not be able to conquer them. Only...

Well, it's deja vu all over again!  Here is the commentary for this week that I accidentally posted last week! --------------------------------- I was looking through some past divrei torah (Torah commentaries) and discovered this one from four years ago.  Though the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has changed much since then, I believe that the message of this d'var torah still holds true today. Let us pray that the time of peace will arrive and commentaries like this will no longer be necessary. Shabbat Shalom, Steven Commentary on Matot-Masei 5766 (2006) This week we conclude the reading of the book of Be'midba r/Numbers with the double parashah /portion of Matot-Masei (30:2-36:13). In Parshat Matot we read of the laws given to the Israelites concerning the making of vows, as well as a description of the war against the Midianites. It concludes with Moses resolving a request by the tribes of Gad and Reuben to live on the "other side of t...

So I was looking at my calendar thinking that it was July 9th, even though the month just started yesterday!  So, of course, it's Matot-Masei.  If I had just remembered that last we ended the reading with the story of Pinchas I would have remembered that it's Pinchas this week.  Oh well, it's been a hectic week. So here is a poem that I wrote a couple years ago for Pinchas.  I don't have time to edit it before Shabbat, but I hope you enjoy it.  And save Matot-Masei's commentary for next week, as I won't be able to post then. Shabbat Shalom, Steven Pinchas Numbers/Bemidbar 25:10 – 30:1 It begins by mentioning an incident that occurred at the end of last week’s parashah where Pinchas, son of Eleazar the priest and grandson of Aaron slays the Israelite man Zimri and the Midianite woman Cozbi after they enter a tent to have sexual relations. This takes place after the text tells us that the Midianites have led the Israelites into whoring, both in terms...

This week's parasha /portion is Balak ( Be ' midbar /Numbers 22:2-25:9).  In this narrative, Balak king of Midian, hires the magician Bilaam to curse the Israelites. However, no matter how hard he might try, he may only utter words of praise provided him by God. On his way to Balak, Bilaam encounters a fiery angel on the path. However, Bilaam does not see the angel. Only his donkey, who stops in his tracks and refuses to move, sees it. Finally, after Bilaam begins to beat the donkey in order to get him to move, the donkey miraculously begins to speak. To paraphrase, he says "you've known me all these years! Doesn't the fact that I stopped dead in my tracks tell you that something is wrong? Open your eyes!" In reading this section, the old adage "never assume" came to mind. And so, this midrashic poem on the parashah.  I did publish this poem last year on the blog.  However, I have edited and refined it further and so I wanted to sh...

This  week's parashah, Hukkat  (Bemidbar/Numbers 19:122:1),  begins with the description of the ritual slaughter of the red heifer by Eleazar the priest. The ashes of the heifer are then to be mixed together with water, hyssop, crimson thread and other ingredients in order to make a solution that will be used to purify those who have becometamei/ritually impure (for lack of a better translation) through contact with a corpse. Following the description of the ritual slaughter of the red heifer, we read of the death of Miriam the prophet, sister of Moses and Aaron. Immediately following her death the people cry out to Moses that they have no water to drink This passage is most likely the origin of the ancient rabbinic legend of Miriam’s Well, that sustained the people through their years in the desert and dried up following Miriam’s death. As the people cry out to the bereaved Moses and Aaron for water, God instructs them to speak to a rock in order to b...