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Israel: Memory and Dreams (Part 1)

Apr 10, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Yom Hazikaron-Yom Ha'atzma'ut

Yom Ha鈥檃tzma鈥檜t, State of Israel Independence Day, is observed on Tuesday, April 16. It is not only a political and national celebration for the citizens of Israel and their supporters around the world, it is also a festival of the Jewish calendar. The Psalms of Hallel are recited, there is a special Torah reading, and there is an additional paragraph in the 鈥楢尘颈诲补丑 of the Conservative Movement, in a style similar to Hanukkah and Purim (see the Rabbinical Assembly鈥檚 Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays, 42, 50, 343). So this day is not simply the Israeli equivalent of July 4鈥攊t is rooted, as is the State of Israel, in the ancient Jewish dream for the perfection of the world.

Land, Language, and Leprosy

Apr 10, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Metzora | Tazria

The second of this week鈥檚 parashiyot, Metzora, is an enigma on so many levels.

The Torah’s Prescription for Healing

Apr 9, 2013 By Alan Cooper | Commentary | Metzora | Tazria

At a glance, the opening chapters of Parashat Metzora seem like a biblical antecedent of WebMD. Leviticus 13 describes the disfiguring symptoms of 爪专注转/tzara`at, starting with 鈥渁 swelling, a rash, or a discoloration鈥� that 鈥渄evelops into a scaly affection鈥� (Lev. 13:1).

The Soul Is Pure

Apr 3, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

The 鈥減reliminary prayers鈥� recited at synagogue each morning are rarely encountered; even if you arrive 15 minutes after the published starting time for a service that might last more than three hours, you will miss those first important words. This fills me with real sorrow, for within this section of Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays (4鈥�13) are remarkable, beautiful affirmations and reflections. In previous weeks, we looked at , focusing especially on the way the poet entrusts body and soul to God each night. So, in the morning, it is natural to give thanks for one more day of life, and to reflect on who we are as human beings, composed of body and soul.

Finding Atonement After Sin

Apr 3, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Shemini

Parashat Shemini opens with the initiation of the Tabernacle altar.

Isaiah: Visions and Wellsprings of Salvation

Mar 25, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Pesah

It is often interesting to look closely at the haftarot (readings from the Prophets), and wonder about the juxtaposition of texts, themes, and ideas; what is this text looking to tell us or provoke/inspire within us?

The Light of Passover

Mar 25, 2013 By David Hoffman | Commentary | Pesah

Why did the Rabbis use the word light when they intended darkness? The Hebrew word leila (诇讬诇讛) would certainly have worked. Why did the Rabbis not say what they meant?

The Secret of Shmurah Matzah

Mar 25, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Pesah

One of the centerpieces of seder night is the eating of matzah, the unleavened bread.

The Family Story

Mar 20, 2013 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Shabbat Hagadol | Pesah

I asked what part of the seder you most enjoy; whether any aspect of it bothers you; which piece of the Exodus story, if any, means a lot to you personally; and how, or if, you relate to the seder as a religious ceremony. Here鈥檚 what I learned from what you told me.

Approaching Pesah, Part 2: Who Are the Children at the Seder?

Mar 20, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Pesah

Let me offer a few thoughts on the part of the seder that has continually enchanted me since I was a child. The Haggadah presents four 鈥渢ypes鈥� of children, labeling each and offering directives to the parents on how to respond to each type. This is based upon four verses in the Torah that instruct the Children of Israel to explain (to their children) the rituals of Pesah. The Haggadah assumes that if something is repeated four times, with different language, that there must be a reason: that there are different types of children, each needing a different response.

Stoking the Perpetual Fire of Freedom

Mar 20, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Shabbat Hagadol | Tzav

As we approach the festival of Passover, the domestic excitement and drama increase. This anticipation is seamlessly reflected in Parashat Tzav.

Approaching Pesah, Part 1: 鈥淭urning the Heart鈥�

Mar 13, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary | Pesah

Two seemingly disconnected texts offer an insight into the experience of Pesah. On Shabbat Hagadol (the Shabbat before Pesah, this year on March 23), the haftarah from Malachi ends with the powerful words, 鈥渂efore the coming of the great and awesome day of God I will send you the prophet Elijah; he will turn the hearts of parents to [their] children, and the hearts of children to parents鈥� (Mal. 3:23).

Animal Sacrifice on an iPad: Finding Meaning in Va-yikra

Mar 13, 2013 By Charlie Schwartz | Commentary | Vayikra

I would like to offer three of the many approaches to Va-yikra that might help infuse our reading of the book with meaning beyond flying goats and calves.

Bridging the Particular and the Universal

Mar 13, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Vayikra

With the opening of the book of Leviticus and its keen focus on sacrifices this coming Shabbat, many laypeople and clergy alike begin an exegetical struggle for connection and relevance.

鈥淚n God鈥檚 Hand I Place My Soul鈥� (Part 2)

Mar 6, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

Last week we took a brief look at the balance between the majestic theological description of God with which Adon Olam opens, and the more intimate, even tender recounting of the poet鈥檚 relationship with God in the final stanzas. These final verses begin with two short words that articulate a quite extraordinary claim: 鈥�Vehu Eli鈥� (For He is my God).

Meaning in M茅tier

Mar 6, 2013 By Rabbi Abigail Treu | Commentary | Pekudei | Vayak-hel

The midrash suggests that the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was given not because God needed such a thing, but to show the world鈥擨sraelites included鈥攖hat the Israelites had been forgiven for the sin of the Golden Calf. It is curious, though, that such a gesture would be given as a do-it-yourself assignment.

Of Leadership and Investment: A People Engage

Mar 6, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Pekudei | Vayak-hel

Parashat Vayak-hel-Pekudei continues the building of the Tabernacle鈥攄etailing the materials, craftsmanship, appurtenances, and its completion.

Pesah: A Liberating Experience for Women

Mar 4, 2013 By Judith Hauptman | Commentary | Pesah

There is no festival more home- and family-oriented than Pesah. Sukkot may run a close second, but the seder places Pesah way ahead. Although celebrating at home with a lavish family meal should make this holiday a pleasure to anticipate, for many women this is not so. The painstaking conversion of the kitchen from leaven-filled to leaven-free status has turned the Festival of Freedom into an intense period of domestic labor rather than a celebration of personal and national liberation. That was not the intention of the halakhah.

鈥淚n God鈥檚 Hand I Place My Soul鈥� (Part 1)

Feb 27, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary

There are moments when our prayers and spiritual poetry (piyyutim) make profound declarations about life and death, about humanity and God. Often these moments are recognized as awesome and important, and there is a sense within the synagogue community of this significance; for example, in asserting the unity of God (the Shema鈥�), God鈥檚 holiness (the kedushah), and the role of destiny (鈥�Unetaneh tokef鈥� on Rosh Hashanah).

The Art of Torah

Feb 27, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Ki Tissa

Too often, the arts are underappreciated in the Jewish community.

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