Torah Portion:  Va'etchanan, Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

I've always been interested in my Christian friends and colleagues who talk about being witnesses for their God.  I've always been perplexed by this language, not really understanding what it means, not really thinking that it was "Jewish" language.  But I was reminded while reading this week's Torah portion that "witnessing" is, in fact, part of Jewish faith and experience.  If you actually read the Torah for this week's portion, you will find the familiar words of the Shema prayer.  But what might not be familiar is the fact that the last letter of the first word of the shema - AYIN - and the last letter of the last word of the prayer - DALET - are enlarged.  These two letters combine to form the word eid, or WITNESS.  Written into the Torah itself is the message that through the Shema, we serve as wtinesses for God.

Torah Portion: Matot/Masei, Numbers 30:2-26:13

Not everything in the Torah is pretty.  The beginning of this week's portion, in fact, contains a disturbing story about the Israelites waging war against the Midianites.  God instructs Moses to instruct the Israelites to spare no one, to decimate the entire Midianite people.  The battle commanders, however, kill only the men, and spare the women and children.  When Moses learns of this mercy, he rebukes the commanders and orders them to kill every young male, while sparing only the women and girls.  Reading this story, one cannot help but think of Pharaoh's evil decree to kill every Israelite male child, an event that eventually led to the Israelites' freedom.  This story brings up a number of difficult theological questions: Are the Israelites actually more spiritually "chosen" than other peoples?  If God is compassionate, why would God order the death of all these people?  Was Moses a righteous leader?  

Torah Portion: Sh'lach L'cha; Numbers 13:1-15:41

This week’s portion, Sh'lach-L'cha, tells the story of the twelve spies who make an early entrance into the land of Israel in order to scout out the land.  They return to the wandering Israelites and report that while the land is indeed flowing with milk and honey, it is inhabited by such strong people that the rag-tag group of Israelites could not possibly hope to overcome.  This report throws the Israelites into chaos, and they shriek that through Moses, God led the Israelites out of Egypt (which at least had good food!) only to die in the desert.  All the Israelites seem to join in this accusation, except for two of the spies—Joshua and Caleb.  These two men literally put their lives on the line and tell the people that God will remain with them, and that they should not fear.  Joshua and Caleb risked everything in order to speak the truth.

Torah Portion: Naso, Numbers 4:21-7:89

This week's Torah portion, Naso, contains the obscure story of the "sotah," a woman who has been accused of committing adultery. The Torah describes the arcane test that the accused woman must undergo to either prove or disprove her innocence. While this Torah section might not seem to be the most exciting topic of study, I actually spent about a year learning about the sotah ritual with my study partner, my hevruta. Judaism, as most of us know, has always placed a premium on education, but the most important form of study has been Torah study. Torah study for its own sake - not for monetary gain, educational advancement or increase in status - is considered its own reward, deepening our spirituality and connection with God. That is why studying the ritual of sotah was such an important part of my weekly schedule.

Torah Portion: B'midbar; Numbers 1:1-4:20

This week's Torah portion, B'midbar, begins a new book of the Torah, the book of Numbers.  The Hebrew word for this book (the same as this week's portion) is B'midbar, which literally translates as "in the wilderness."  This name makes sense because this book tells the story of the Israelites wandering through the wilderness before they entered the land of Canaan.  So where did the name "Numbers" come from?

Torah Portion:  B'har/B'chukotai; Leviticus 25:1-27:34

 In this week's double Torah portion, Behar-Bechukotai, there are a number of laws relating to the jubilee year (the 50th year), including the laws that slaves must be set free, property should revert to its original owner, and the land should lie fallow and unfarmed.  These laws create an ideal image of society that revolves around the idea that we don't actually OWN anything--all we have is a gift from God.  This is a radical idea, one very foreign to us today, but I think (if we imagine John Lennon's "Imagine" playing in the background and light our little patchouli candle) that we can envision some of the changes this value would create in our world today.  If we truly believed we didn't OWN our own money, then we might be more generous in sharing it with those in need.  If we truly believed we didn't OWN our homes, maybe we would happily invite others to share our space.  It's a tantalizing vision, isn't it?

Torah Portion:  Emor; Leviticus 21:1-24:23

There is a great story that is often told during children's services at the High Holy Days about a debate that the different parts of the body get into. Each part tries to prove it is the strongest - the hands, the heart, the legs - but the tongue (with its wily ways) wins the debate hands down.  Our tongue may not seem to be that important, but the power of speech that the tongue commands is one of the most powerful tools we have in life.

Torah Portion:  Vayikra;  Leviticus 1:1-5:26

This week brings us the first chapter of a new book of Torah, the beginning of the book of Leviticus, and the Torah portion Vayikra.  Many people, when reading the book of Leviticus, give a bit of a shudder.  After all, the portion is filled with details of the animal sacrifices held in the Temple.  It is a priestly book, and gives detailed instructions for the priests; it contains stories about skin diseases and household mold.  The entire book contains only one narrative section, which is a deeply disturbing story describing the consequences if the priests do something wrong.   Reading it today, it is sometimes difficult to understand how this book can possibly have meaning for us now.

Torah Portion:   T’tzaveh;  Exodus 27:20-30:10

Every time you enter our sanctuary, you see the Ner Tamid, the Eternal Flame.  This light is a constant reminder of God’s presence amongst us.  We all know what the Ner Tamid is, but we may not know that the law dictating its existence comes from this week’s Torah portion, Tetzave.  The Torah says, “You shall instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps.  [They shall burn] from evening to morning before the Lord.  This shall be a due from the Israelites for all time, throughout the ages” (Ex. 27:20-21).  We follow this pact today, quite literally.  However, I think we also follow it in a more figurative way—by always renewing our search for God.

Torah portion:  Mishpatim; Exodus 21:1-24:18

One of my closest rabbinic friends was a lawyer for many years before becoming a rabbi.