Chukkat

The title of this week's sidrah indicates that of the many mitzvot described as "statutes", that of the law of the red heifer is the paradigm for them all.

If the definition of a statute is a law for which there is no known reason, then the procedure of purification with the ashes of the red heifer appears to be truly incomprehensible. The person over whom they were sprinkled was rendered pure, while all those involved in the purification procedure were themselves rendered impure.

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Korach

The great Jewish historian of ancient times Josephus tells of an event in his own lifetime which certainly reinforced the holiness of every person:

"There came to me from the region of Trachonitis [the site of a rebellion against King Herod while he was in Rome], two nobles, subjects of the king, bringing their horses, arms and money which they had smuggled out of the country. The Jews would have compelled them to be circumcised as a condition of residence among them.

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Shelach Lecha

Is it ever right to criticise Israel? It is a question that we confront every year as we read about the spies who went to investigate the Promised Land. They all reported that the country was beautiful, but most of them claimed that conquering it would be impossible. Their pessimism led to a national rebellion, leading God to ban that entire generation from entering Israel and condemning them to death in the desert.

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Beha'alotecha

The Israelites can be heard murmuring and grumbling about their situation pretty much from the beginning of their experience of freedom. They complain about the lack of water to drink, the standard of their food, and appear to harp back to the "good old days" of slavery in Egypt. Is this a profound case of Stockholm Syndrome, or was something else praying on the minds of the people at the time?

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Naso

No one likes to hear the same thing twice. No one likes to say the same thing twice. So the end of this week's sidrah is perplexing, even downright dull, with its twelve-fold repetition of the princely offerings to the Tabernacle. Each leader brings the same litany of gifts, each recorded in minute detail. What can we learn from repetition?

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Bemidbar

There are societies in which personal freedom and aspirations are abrogated, human dignity and the value of human life are disregarded. By contrast there are those built upon personal freedom where human life and dignity are cherished as inalienable rights.
Yet individual freedom and choice may sometimes be abused at the expense of others. Where do we strike the balance? The command of Moses to count the heads of the Jewish people and take a census the Torah indicates the proper balance to be struck.

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Behar–Bechukkotai

The change that takes place in biblical Hebrew from one generation to another is a fascinating process. Words like "Israel", "holy" and even "God" have gone through a metamorphosis. Battles have been fought. Life and death have often revolved around the change in meaning. An example of this is the word dror (release), which occurs at the beginning of this week's Torah portion.

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Emor

Does it matter what the rest of the world thinks of Israel and the Jewish people or should we just do what we think is right regardless of world opinion?

At first glance, it might seem that Judaism only requires us to follow its laws, oblivious to other people's views. But our religious obligations include the duty to avoid any act which will reduce respect for God and the Jewish people and to strive to "sanctify God's name"; bringing credit to our religion and its adherents (Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah 5: 10).

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Acharei mot–kedoshim

Parashat Kedoshim begins by outlining one of the most important mitzvot in the Torah without specifically defining what it is: for the Israelite community "to be holy".

This injunction is immediately qualified by the statement "for I, the Lord your God, am holy". We can surmise from this that we are to be holy because God is holy and this means that we should act in His image, b'ztelem Elohim.

What does this mean? What are God'' expectations when He commands such an undefined yet powerful law? How are we to be holy?

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Tazria-metzora

I was turned away from the hospital the other day on a visit to one of my congregants. Winter-virus had contaminated the ward and non-essential visitors were asked to leave. Sickness can be lonely. Before modernity, illness had purpose. It could cleanse one from sin, sign-post a fault in the soul, lead to a higher spiritual plane. The Talmud relates that when Rabbi Yochanan enters to heal his student, Rabbi Hiyya, he begins with the question: "Are your afflictions beloved to you?" (Berachot 5b).

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