…with the strength-in-depth they need to flourish in the long run. The classic instance of the principles articulated by Burns, Rees-Mogg and Collins is the transformation that occurred between Ki Tissa and Acharei Mot, between the first Yom Kippur and the second, between Moses’ heroic leadership and the quiet, understated priestly discipline of an annual day of repentance and atonement….
…but bishat maaseh, while you are performing it? The Rav actually believed and proved in all his works that when you carried out mitzvot you entered a world of thought that was quite distinctive – the world of Jewish philosophy. The Se/er Hachinnukh says ‘Acharei hapeulot nimshekhu halevavot’ – how you act affects what you feel. The Rav said in…
…published 14 January 2014) Environmental Responsibility (Covenant & Conversation, Shoftim) Environmental Ethics: JNF Rabbinical Conference (1992) Lecture Ceremony & Celebration Family Edition: Tu BiShvat Made With Love (Covenant & Conversation Family Edition, Acharei Mot Kedoshim) The Ecological Imperative (Covenant & Conversation Family Edition, Shoftim) The Good Society: The St George’s Lecture, 5 June 2000 (transcript where the environmental aspects of…
The opening chapter of Kedoshim contains two of the most powerful of all commands: to love your neighbour and to love the stranger. “Love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord” goes the first. “When a stranger comes to live in your land, do not mistreat him,” goes the second, and continues, “Treat the stranger the way you treat…
“On this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins”. Lev. 16: 30 On the holiest day of the year, the Day of Atonement, the holiest of people, the High Priest, entered the holiest of places, the Holy of Holies, and made atonement for all Israel….
At the centre of the mosaic books is Vayikra. At the centre of Vayikra is the “holiness code” (chapter 19) with its momentous call: “You shall be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” And at the centre of chapter 19 is a brief paragraph which, by its positioning, is the apex, the high point, of the Torah:…
…asked, why should they have been included at all? And let me read to you a little passage from the book of Ruth and ask you, what does it remind you of? It says “Vaya’an Boaz,” (this is the first time Boaz and Ruth meet, and Boaz says to Ruth,) “hoogaid hoogad li kol asher asseet et-chamotaich acharei mot ishaich”,…
…and strengthens the bond between you. ACHAREI MOT-KEDOSHIM: Clear rules and proper discipline help to establish, maintain and expand order for more fulfilled children, families, and society. Love is not enough. Relationships need rules. EMOR: Do not rely exclusively on To Do lists. Use a diary. And live by the Jewish calendar to experience the things that give life a…
…alternative explanation for all these things. As I explained in Covenant and Conversation Acharei Mot – Kedoshim, the ethic of character. The key text of the holiness ethic is Leviticus 19: “Be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” It is this chapter that teaches the two great commands of interpersonal love, of the neighbour and the stranger. The…
…Covenant and Conversation for the double parsha of Acharei Mot – Kedoshim, it was the Priests who taught the people the specific ethic of holiness. The key text of the holiness ethic is Vayikra 19: “Be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” It is this chapter that teaches the two great commands of interpersonal love, of the…