Parashat Bahar (On the Mountain) & Bechukotai (In My Decrees) Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:1-26:2 & 26:3-27:34Haftarah: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14. This week’s Scripture portion begins with God’s instructions to Israel as they prepare to enter the Land: The LORD … Read More
The Difficult Path
Parashat Emor (Say) Parasha: Vayikra (Leviticus) 21:1-24:3 Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15-31 This week’s Parashah speaks directly to the priests , those set apart for service to God. As I read through these chapters, I was reminded … Read More
Stop Pointing Fingers
Parashat Achrei Mot (After the Death) & Kedoshim (Holy Ones) Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:1-18:40 & 19:1-20:27Haftarah: Amos 9:7-15 (Ashkenazi Jews) & Ezekiel 20:2-20 (Sephardic Jews) It’s easy to point at the world and say, “They’re the problem.” … Read More
Unlikely Messengers of Hope
Parashat Tazria (She Conceives) & Metzora (Leprosy) Vayikra (Leviticus) 12:1-13:8 & 14:1-15:33Haftarah: 2 Kings 7:3-20 This week’s double portion, Tazria and Metzora, deals with a topic that feels distant to many of us today: biblical leprosy, or tzara’at. While these … Read More
The Problem of Good Intentions
Parashat Shemini (Eighth) Leviticus 9:1-11:47Haftarah: 2 Samuel 6:1-7:17 This week, during our staff meeting, we found ourselves asking a fundamental question: Why do we do what we do? As followers of God, are we simply going through … Read More
The Fire That Purifies
Parashat Tzav | Vayikra (Leviticus) 6:1–8:36 Haftarah: Malachi 3:1–24 Shabbat HaGadol – The Great Sabbath Before Passover As we enter this special Shabbat—Shabbat HaGadol—we stand on the threshold of freedom. Soon we will retell the … Read More
The Power of Salt
Parashat Vayikra (And He Called) Vayikra (Leviticus) 1:1-5:26Haftarah: Isaiah 43:21–44:23 This week, we begin reading from the Book of Leviticus. In our Parashah, we find detailed instructions that God gave to Moses—commands meant for the children … Read More
His Power Perfected in Our Weakness
Parashat Bechukotai (In My Decrees) Vayikra (Leviticus) 26:3-27:34 Haftarah: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14 I often ask myself, “Why do I do what I do?” It’s important for us to examine what motivates us. Do we do things … Read More
To Whom Does the Land Belong?
Parashat Bahar (On the Mountain) Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:1–26:2 Haftarah: Jeremiah 32:6–27 We live in very intersting times, since May 14th 1948, when David Ben Gurion said in Israel’s Declaration of Independence: “ACCORDINGLY WE, MEMBERS OF … Read More
Chosen for What?
Parashat Emor (Say) Vayikra (Leviticus) 21:1-24:3 Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15-31 The Jewish people are often called God’s “chosen people”. This begs the question, “For what have we been chosen?” The answer: To reveal the God of … Read More