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Gold and Incense: For Better and for Worse

Feb 20, 2015 By Stephen A. Geller | Commentary | Terumah

Parashat Terumah begins the long section of the Book of Exodus that deals with the Tabernacle, its furniture and vessels, and the garments of the high priest. The only interruption in this mass of cultic detail is the narrative of the sin of worshipping the Golden Calf and its aftermath in Exodus 32鈥�34. The ritual details continue into Vayikra with the list of sacrifices in the cult. The climax of the entire cultic section is Leviticus 9 and 10, where the Tabernacle is dedicated with elaborate rites.

The Construction of the Tabernacle From the Hebrew Republic (1700)

Feb 20, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Terumah

The Hebrew Republic (De Republica Hebraeorum in the original Latin) was written in the aftermath of Dutch independence from Spain. Petrus Cunaeus principally drew from biblical and Talmudic sources and from Maimonides鈥檚 Mishneh Torah in order to reconstruct (or, in reality, construct) the development, structure, and challenges of an ancient Hebrew republic, with the intention of providing a model for the emerging Dutch republic that was both religious and practical.

I Can鈥檛 Stand My Neighbor, but His Ox Needs a Hand

Feb 13, 2015 By Joel Alter | Commentary | Mishpatim

A rabbi and an astronomer have the middle and window seats on a long-haul flight while the fellow on the aisle is a champion sleeper. As neither of our sophisticated travelers is taking a stroll anytime soon, the astronomer begins to talk: 鈥淭ell me, rabbi. What, essentially, is Judaism for?鈥� The rabbi thinks a bit, casting about for a reasonable response. He offers a few broad strokes and believes he鈥檚 done about as well as might be expected. The traveler responds, 鈥淎ll these rules and teachings and traditions, rabbi! Can鈥檛 it all be boiled down to 鈥楤e Nice?鈥欌€� The rabbi nods and says, 鈥淎ll these galaxies and black holes and neutrinos and supernovas . . . professor, can鈥檛 it all be boiled down to 鈥楾winkle, twinkle little star?鈥欌€�

Law and Justice

Feb 13, 2015 By Martin Oppenheimer | Commentary | Mishpatim

As an attorney, I am fascinated by the code of civil and criminal law contained in Mishpatim. In Egypt, law was made by the Pharoah, who could unilaterally decide the fate of his subjects. All lives and property were forfeit at his whim鈥攁s his subjects learned during the course of the plagues, and when the Egyptian army was decimated at the Red Sea. Conversely, Mosaic law focuses on equality and social justice. The poor, the downtrodden, the stranger鈥攅ven the man whose destitution forced him to sell himself into slavery鈥攚ere required to be treated with dignity under the law.

The Bite of Desire

Feb 6, 2015 By Eliezer B. Diamond z”l | Commentary | Yitro

Do you covet? I do, and it makes me sad. Perhaps I鈥檓 too hard on myself. We all see things that we want, don鈥檛 have, and wish we did. There is too much in the world that is bright and shiny鈥攐ffering pleasure and excitement鈥攏ot to see it and feel the ache of its absence in my life. And I speak not only of the ephemeral delights that beckon. Even more difficult to contemplate are my fellow human beings whose personal and professional lives leave me despondent when measuring myself against them: scholars who have written books that I haven鈥檛, friends who seem to be better spouses or more successful parents, people who have paid off their mortgages, men who still have all their hair. In short, the list is endless.

Shabbat: A Model Of, and For, the World

Feb 6, 2015 By William Friedman | Commentary | Yitro

In Parashat Yitro, the command to 鈥渞emember鈥� Shabbat (Exod. 20:8) is observed in order to recognize the eternal sanctity of the day on which God rested on the seventh day of Creation. This command is recapitulated in Deuteronomy with significant revision: the Israelites are to 鈥渙bserve鈥� Shabbat (Deut. 5:12) in order to ensure that slaves (i.e., workers) are given an opportunity for rest. What are we to make of these dual aspects of Shabbat, one in which we reenact God鈥檚 primordial resting; the other in which we attempt to achieve a measure of protection for the economically vulnerable?

Where Does Midrash Begin?

Jan 23, 2015 By Benjamin D. Sommer | Commentary | Bo

In this week鈥檚 parashah we find the first legal passage in the Torah, Exodus 12, which contains laws concerning Passover. Torah as a type of literature is best defined as a combination of law and narrative. In Torah we read not only some laws here and some narratives there, but laws that are authenticated and explained by the narrative, and narrative whose purpose is to motivate us to observe the laws. Since we first encounter law in this week鈥檚 parashah, in a significant way it is here that the Torah begins in earnest.

鈥淲e Were Slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt鈥�

Jan 23, 2015 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Bo

Mount Sinai and a pyramid mirror each other, two halves of a whole. The pyramid is upside down, demonstrating that slavery is unnatural. Servitude distorts reality and ambition. This distortion comes not only from slavery to a human master, but also from when we become enslaved to our own drives鈥攍acking the ability to envision an alternative or to hold fast to hope.

The Song at the Sea

Jan 20, 2015 By 91快活林 | Commentary | Beshallah

The centerpiece of Parashat Beshallah is the Song at the Sea. The song gives this Shabbat on which it is read the name Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of Song. It is interesting to note that this is the first recorded instance in the Torah where praise of God is specifically sung rather than spoken. Dr. Joseph H. Hertz, the first graduate of 91快活林 and the chief rabbi of the British Empire, wrote in his Torah commentary on Parashat Beshallah, 鈥淲henever Israel has faith in God and in the Divine Mission of Moses, Israel sings鈥� (The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, p. 270).

On Preventing the Hardening of Hearts

Jan 16, 2015 By Danielle Upbin | Commentary | Va'era

After a long walk across the park on a Shabbat winter morning in New York City, services concluded, guests assembled at an Upper East Side apartment. The host of this particular Rabbinical School student gathering held the meal hostage. The ransom was the answer to his question: 鈥淲hy did God harden Pharaoh鈥檚 heart?鈥漈he host had a group of well-educated, eager to answer, soon-to-be rabbis at his disposal. From them, he wasn鈥檛 going to accept any rehearsed responses, such as 鈥淕od had to prove Himself to the Israelites.鈥� Much to the students鈥� relief, this trial was interrupted by the hostess, and the first course was served. It was a meal unfinished, for even as we all said grace after the meal, we remained, as our host, unsatisfied.

Eternity in a Word

Jan 16, 2015 By Joel Alter | Commentary | Va'era

God鈥檚 name YHVH is the verb 鈥渢o be鈥� with the past, present, and future tenses folded into the same conjugation: Eternity or Being in a single word.

Cultivating Compassion & Connection

Jan 9, 2015 By Mona Fishbane | Commentary | Shemot

At the end of chapter two of Shemot, we find the Israelites groaning from their bondage in Egypt: their cry rose up to God. And, our text tells us, God heard their cry (vayishma), remembered the covenant (vayizkor), saw the children of Israel (vayar), and took notice or knew (vayeda). I want to explore with you the relational and ethical lessons we can learn from these verses in our own lives. In doing so, I am inspired by comments in the Kedushat Levi, the book written by the Hasidic Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev. I am grateful to Jonathan Slater and his new book, A Partner in Holiness, for bringing the insights of the Kedushat Levi to my attention.

Illustrations of Moses in the Amsterdam Haggadah, 1695

Jan 9, 2015 By Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary | Commentary | Shemot | Pesah

Strikingly, Moses is barely mentioned in the text of the Haggadah, despite his prominence in the Torah鈥檚 account of the Exodus that begins with this week鈥檚 parashah. He is, however, prominently featured in some editions via the illustrations.

Final Blessings

Dec 30, 2014 By Mychal Springer | Commentary | Vayehi

One model of family caring for the dying is embodied powerfully in this week鈥檚 parashah. Jacob, aware that he is dying, speaks plain words to his sons: 鈥淚 am about to die鈥� (Gen. 48:21) . . . 鈥淚 am about to be gathered to my kin鈥� (49:29). By giving voice to the reality that his life is ending, Jacob opens up sacred opportunities with his family. He creates moments to put his blessings into words and communicates his wishes for what will happen to his body: that he be buried with his family in the family cave so that he can be gathered to his kin in all ways. The naming of this truth enables closure and peace.

Finding the Larger Message

Dec 26, 2014 By Judith Hauptman | Commentary | Vayiggash

When kids in Hebrew School read the story of Joseph, he looks very good. He saves the lives of many Egyptians by storing grain in the fat years and dispensing it in the lean years. But when an adult reads the same verses, Joseph appears unscrupulous. We ask: when the hungry people come to him during the years without crops, does he have to make them sell him all their cattle? And when they come back a second time, does he have to make them sell him all their land and also offer themselves as slaves?

A Narrative for Our Lives

Dec 26, 2014 By Tim Daniel Bernard | Commentary | Vayiggash

No matter if we are philosophers, scientists, or grand viziers of Egypt, we all constantly engage in the process of slotting the 鈥渄isordered fragments of raw experience鈥� into an overarching framework.

The Angel at the Window

Dec 23, 2014 By Lisa Gelber | Commentary | Vayehi

鈥淲hat鈥檚 an angel? It鈥檚 a star that comes down from the sky at night to peek in your window . . . to make sure you鈥檙e sleeping and give you a little kiss on the head.鈥�

A Blessing of Reconciliation

Dec 19, 2014 By Lilly Kaufman | Commentary | Miketz

In Parashat Miketz, the masterful Joseph, hashalit al ha鈥檃retz (the sovereign of the land) engages in a series of tests of his brothers鈥� honesty. Also at stake is the resilience of their father Jacob鈥檚 legacies.

An Alternative Hero

Dec 19, 2014 By Alisa Braun | Commentary | Miketz

Joseph, not Moses, torn apart
dreams snakes brothers father
sins and returns loves and is silent
wanders between the gleanings of Ephraim and the delight of Manasseh
Joseph knowledge Joseph pain
Joseph summer

His Father鈥檚 Son

Dec 12, 2014 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Vayeshev

We stand in a very long line of children of Israel who have been fascinated with Joseph, the first person to have stood in that line. It鈥檚 hard in 2014 to see him, like the Rabbis, as a great tzadik, even if he did resist the temptation of betraying Potiphar by sleeping with his wife; brought his brothers to teshuvah (repentance) through an elaborate and risky ruse; forgave them for selling him into slavery; and apparently administered the entire wealth of Egypt without ever profiting personally from his position. Joseph seems too worldly for the role of tzadik, too complex, too much a man of action rather than reflection.

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