(25:1-26:2) The sabbatical and jubilee years are discussed.
Imagine a woman getting promoted to management and being given a personal assistant. One day an old friend visits the office and the recently promoted manager wants to indicate her new status, and the power it wields. She calls in her assistant and asks her to bring a cup of coffee. When the assistant leaves […]
As social distance guidelines are becoming more relaxed, relief has come for many people who have been waiting to return to work and resume their regular routine. Some people are still fearful for the future and are worried about a second wave. Wherever one stands regarding policy, all agree that we all look forward to a […]
The 26th chapter of Leviticus sets out with stunning clarity the terms of Jewish life for following the Almighty’s directives. On one hand, there is an idyllic picture of the blessing of Divine favor. How? If Israel follows G-d’s decrees and keeps His commands, there will be rain, the earth will yield its fruit, there will […]
Imagine the following two scenarios: (1) You decides to sell land that had been in your family for generations and sometime later you came to realize it was a major immense mistake. Your family falls into poverty, which leads to a downward social and economic spiral, one which can lead to what sociologists call intergenerational […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
