Kohelet, Tolstoy and the Red Heifer (Chukat – Balak 5780)
Download the accompanying Family Edition here! The command of the parah adumah, the Red Heifer, with which our parsha begins, … Read more
Tag: laws
We will do and we will hear (Mishpatim 5780)
Download the accompanying Family Edition here! Two words we read towards the end of our parsha – na’aseh … Read more
The Ecological Imperative (Shoftim 5779)
In the course of setting out the laws of war, the Torah adds a seemingly minor detail that became the … Read more
The Sacrifices of Childbirth (Tazria 5779)
At the start of this parsha is a cluster of laws that challenged and puzzled the commentators. They concern a … Read more
Between Hope and Humanity (Shemini 5779)
It should have been the great day of celebration. The Tabernacle, Israel’s first collective house of worship, was complete. All … Read more
Destructive and Self-Destructive (Tzav 5779)
This sedra, speaking about sacrifices, prohibits the eating of blood: Wherever you live, you must not eat the blood … Read more
Judaism’s Three Voices (Acharei Mot & Kedoshim 5777)
The nineteenth chapter of Vayikra, with which our parsha begins, is one of the supreme statements of the ethics of … Read more
The Dangers of Enthusiasm (Shemini 5776)
Excavating the history of words can sometimes be as revealing as excavating the ruins of an ancient city. Take the … Read more
Chukat (5771) – Descartes’ Error
In his recent bestseller, The Social Animal, New York Times columnist David Brooks writes: We are living in the middle of … Read more
