Private Conversations, Public Stages

This week's parasha, Tzav, opens with Gd instructing Moses to command Aaron and his sons, not simply to teach them, but to tzav, to press upon them with urgency and intention the laws of the sacrificial service. And then, in Chapter 8, something remarkable happens. Moses gathers Aaron and hi…

Called by Name, Spoken to With Purpose

The third book of the Torah opens with a grammatical curiosity that the rabbis could not ignore. "Vayikra el Moshe vayedaber Hashem eilav" ("And Gd called to Moses, and Gd spoke to him.") Vayikra 1:1. Two verbs. One right after the other. Called. Then spoke. Why the redundancy? If Gd was goi…

The Heart and the Hand

There's a phrase most of us have heard at one time or another, usually when a gift doesn't quite achieve its desired outcome: "It's the thought that counts."

This sentiment is a kind thing to say. But candidly? It's not a very Jewish thing to say.

This week's double portion, Vayakhel-Pekud…

The Mirror of Self-Worship

In Parashat Ki Tisa, we encounter one of the most dramatic and heartbreaking moments in all of Torah: the sin of the Golden Calf. Moses is on Sinai receiving the word of Gd directly. The Israelites grow restless, barely weeks removed from the splitting of the sea, from manna raining from hea…

A Light Kindled by All of Us

This week's Torah portion, Parashat Tetzaveh, addresses many dimensions of our sacred practice, the priestly garments, the structure of the Tabernacle, the arrangement of the showbread, and more. Yet among these details, one instruction stands out for its profound message about Jewish contin…