The priestly code; the rules pertaining to sacrifices, diet, and morality; and the Land of Israel and festivals are discussed.
We begin reading Leviticus, the third book of the Torah this week. The main topics revolve around the offerings brought during the times when the Temple in Jerusalem stood (it was destroyed in 70 CE). Although the idea of animal sacrifice is foreign and even repulsive to many people, many lessons can be learned from them. One […]
If your brother becomes impoverished and his means falter with you, you will support him…(25:35) The Midrash uses a verse from Psalms (41:2) to explain the above verse: Praiseworthy is one who contemplates the needy…But shouldn’t the verse read, Praiseworthy is one who gives to the needy? The Midrash answers its own question by saying that you should look at […]
When you reap the harvest of your Land, you shall not completely remove the corner of your field during your harvesting, and you shall not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. [Rather,] you shall leave these for the poor person and for the stranger. I am the Lord, your G-d. (ibid. 23:22) The latter part […]
If you had to pick a topic that most people never talk about for much of their lives, what would it be? I would vote “G-d.” People have serious discussions about sports, music, theater, hobbies, child rearing and a host of other discussions. They ask each other’s opinions about quarterbacks, quartets, and how to handle […]
I remember a recurring anti-smoking TV commercial growing up; it aired from 1967-1982. It began with a scene of a man on a ladder painting the side of a house while a little boy (about 3 years old) looked on with a paint brush in hand; he was helping. The narrator said, “like father, like […]
Moses saw Elazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s two sons, offer a sacrifice. He became angry because he thought they had acted improperly. However, they were correct in their actions. Aaron intervened and humbly asked a question to clarify the matter. Moses then realized that he himself had made a mistake. And Moses heard (the point that Aaron […]
Live for the Future; Remember the Past Thousands of years ago, when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the first activity done every morning was the separation of a scoopful of ashes from the altar. If you had to assign clothing to the cleric whose job it was to remove those ashes, what would you have […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Vayikra (Leviticus 1-5) Finding the Spark in a Life of Dark And if a person brings a meal offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil over it and place frankincense upon it. (2:1) Rabbi Noah Weinberg used to ask students, in his Judaism 101 classes, if […]
What does an individual or society do when two virtues, both of which are necessary for a just life or society, are at odds with one another? For example, truth and kindness are both wonderful virtues but when adjudicating a case of theft, a judge would be called negligent if s/he tossed out the evidence […]
You shall not desecrate My Holy Name. I shall be sanctified amidst the children of Israel. I am the Lord Who sanctifies you. (22:32) There are two frequently mentioned concepts in classical Jewish literature; kiddush Hashem and chillul Hashem. Kiddush Hashem means that we should act in a fashion that reflects well upon Jews, Torah […]
“He’s so old that when he orders a three-minute egg, they ask for the money up front.” This gem from George Burns is one of the numerous jokes about aging but the sad part does not have to do with failing health, it is how old people are treated in our society. UCLA Professor Jered […]
Speak to the children of Israel, saying: When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male, she shall be tameh for seven days… If she gives birth to a female, she shall be tameh for two weeks. (Vayikra 12: 2, 5) Tumah (ritual impurity) is a spiritual status that impacts a person’s involvement in […]
Moses saw Elazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s two sons, offer a sacrifice. He became angry because he thought they had acted improperly. However, they were correct in their actions. Aaron intervened and humbly asked a question to clarify the matter. Moses then realized that he himself had made a mistake. And Moses heard (the point that […]
Margin When looking at a Torah scroll, there are many components that make it distinct from other ancient texts. One of the most obvious of which are the spaces found before and after paragraphs. Being as a Torah scroll is written without vowels or Cantillation marks (the special indicators of the accent and tune), it […]
When the cycle for the weekly Torah readings was established centuries ago, this week’s Parsha was designated specifically to be read this Shabbos. The reading is from the first few chapters of the Torah’s forth book, Numbers and always proceeds the holiday of Shavuos. What connection is there between this week’s Parsha and Shavuos, the […]
The 26th chapter of Leviticus sets out with stunning clarity the terms of Jewish life under the covenant. On the one hand, there is an idyllic picture of the blessing of Divine favor. If Israel follows G-d’s decrees and keeps His commands, there will be rain, the earth will yield its fruit, there will be […]
Rick is going to purchase a new pair of glasses from an online discount store but is not sure which pair to buy. He goes to an optician, tries on many pairs of glasses and after a half hour with the salesperson, finds the pair that suits him. He then goes home and buys the […]
For a seven day period you shall live in Sukkot (“booths”). Every resident among the Jews shall live in Sukkot. (Leviticus 23:42) The Torah instructs us to live in a Sukkah for seven days. We eat, sleep, and relax there as we would in our own homes. It isn’t difficult for most people to build […]
An urban legend claims that someone with a tattoo cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery. I don’t know the source of this incorrect myth but Jewish mothers for decades have successfully used it to prevent their teenage sons/daughter’s from getting tattoos. Even though it won’t disqualify a corpse from burial in the Jewish cemetery, […]
What thought comes to mind when you think of holiness? For most, it conjures up people living a life of seclusion and abstinence where one is in a state of serenity and is free to ponder life’s conundrums. The Jewish view of holiness is incompatible with this notion. This week’s Torah portion begins with the […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha:Metzora (Leviticus 14-15) Critical Conversations Part II: The Most Important Question to Ask Yourself Before Speaking This week’s Parsha continues discussing the harmful effects of lashon hara, senseless negative speech. Many people don’t take speech seriously; they freely speak about others without regard for their feelings or the potential damage it can […]
The main topic addressed in this week’s Parsha is a condition called tzarat. Although it is generally translated as “leprosy,” other than the fact that it is a painful skin ailment, its exact nature is unknown to us and has not existed for thousands of years. It was not an airborne virus and it is […]
Refrigeration and Kosher Food: Rite or Right This week’s Parsha talks about kosher food and discusses the signs and details that render an animal, bird, or fish kosher. Being as so many people think that these laws stem from a lack of refrigeration and other considerations due to the limitations of the ancient world, we […]
An Effective Tool for Getting Love You Want Many people are familiar with an attitude about a task we aren’t looking forward to: “It is not very glamorous, but somebody has to do it.” And so the Torah begins this week’s portion by telling us the mitzvah of , removing the ashes that accumulate from […]
Enjoy Rabbi Oppenheim’s insights into Passover aspects Weekly Torah Reading: Metzora (Leviticus 14-15) (Being as Passover is a bit more than ten days away, we will discuss different aspects of Passover for the next two weeks) Are You a Freed Slave or A Free Person Anyone who has attended even one Passover Seder knows how […]
…the Kohen shall look, and behold! – the affliction has covered his entire flesh, then he shall declare the affliction to be pure… (Leviticus 13:13) The portion of Tazria includes a detailed discussion of an affliction known as Tzara’at, one of the most misunderstood concepts in the Torah. Because Tzara’at afflicts the skin, it is […]
