Timeless Torah - Timeless Lessons for the Here and Now

What Are You Worth? (11:33)

I can sense you’re getting angry. You don’t like the question. You think it is the prelude to some sort of solicitation. Stop! This has nothing to do with donations and your economic ability as it has to do with your intrinsic value. Let me explain.

In this week’s Torah portion of Shemini we are taught some of the laws concerning spiritual impurities. The halacha is that utensils made of wood and metal become spiritually unclean if a contaminated item touches them externally. On the other hand, earthen vessels are rendered impure only if the contaminated object is within the vessel, but not by external contact.

A great Chasidic master once explained this puzzling difference. Only something of value can…

Continue reading What Are You Worth? (11:33)

What’s on the Menu? (11:7)

Kabbalistic teachings examine all aspects of existence, including why the word “pig” has become a universal symbol of insult. If you don’t accept this fact, recall some of these timeless classics; Nazi pig, You live like a pig, Sexist pig, Cops are pigs, Greedy pig, You stink and eat like a pig, etc. This most treif of all animals is mentioned together with the camel, the hyrax, and the hare. These four creatures are singled out due to an ambiguity surrounding their status. Since they possess one kosher sign but not the other, some might have considered them semi-kosher. The Torah thus sets the record straight.

However, even within this group of imposters and kosher-wannabees, the pig stands out. The…

Continue reading What’s on the Menu? (11:7)

Question & Listen (10:20)

The summer of 656 CE was hot and bloody. In the Arabian Peninsula temperatures ran high, but tempers flared even higher as an armed revolt erupted against the third Caliph (successor) since Mohammed. Only thirty four years had passed since the Koran had been written and already there existed scribal variations. Othman the Caliph issued an official text and declared all the others to be unkosher. This incensed the faithful of other tribal groups and a civil war arose which still plagues the Moslem world.

In contrast, the Five Books of Moses have enjoyed more than thirty three hundred years of consistency. Torahs today read exactly as they did when the Jews first crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land….

Continue reading Question & Listen (10:20)

The Elyonim (10:3)

Judaism’s first Sanctuary was being inaugurated. The crowds were out in force, the excitement was palpable, and the joy was, as you can imagine, immeasurable. Envision the ribbon-cutting ceremony of a cherished king’s new palace. Only in this case it was more so, seeing as how we were dealing with a shrine for the glory of the King of kings
.
But in a heartbreaking anticlimactic sequence, the celebration went terribly wrong. The children of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, entered into the Holy of Holies. They assumed their incense would bring joy to the Creator, but it was their own recipe. And as they tragically discovered, when you play with fire, especially an ‘alien’ fire, you unfortunately get burnt.

Actually,...

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The Gift That Can Be Lost (10:3)

Tragedy does not discriminate. It touches the lives of the wealthy and the poor, the wicked and the righteous. Torah too does not discriminate. It makes demands of the wealthy and the poor, the wicked and the righteous. This week the Bible describes a tragedy that occurred to the most righteous who thought they were above the strictures of Torah.

For months on end, the Jews had dedicated their wealth, time, and talent for the singular purpose of constructing a Sanctuary to G-d. At last, all their efforts bore fruit. Aaron, the High Priest, had offered the inaugural sacrifices and G-d had responded with a fiery sign of Heavenly acceptance and pleasure. The joy was immeasurable, somewhat akin to the…

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Fire: Holy and Unholy (10:1)

After what is undoubtedly the longest introduction in the Torah, the moment at which G-d’s presence would reside amongst the people finally arrived. The Sanctuary stood ready, the priests were consecrated, and the inaugural sacrifices had been offered. All that remained was for Moses and Aaron to enter into the Mishkan and bless the people. Subsequently, “G-d’s glory was then revealed.” ,

Just when we thought the narrative had reached closure, a terrifying scene takes place. Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer an unauthorized fire before G-d. Since playing with fire can be hazardous to your health, “Fire came forth from before G-d, and consumed them.”

Celebration turned to tragedy. The commentators offer many explanations for the harsh and exacting…

Continue reading Fire: Holy and Unholy (10:1)

Fire: Holy and Unholy

After what is undoubtedly the longest introduction in the Torah, the moment at which G-d’s presence would reside amongst the people finally arrived. The sanctuary stood ready, the priests were consecrated, and the inaugural sacrifices had been offered. All that remained was for Moses and Aaron to enter into the Mishkan and bless the people. Subsequently, “G-d’s glory was then revealed.”

Just when we thought the narrative had reached closure, a terrifying scene takes place. Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer an unauthorized fire before G-d. Since playing with fire can be hazardous to your health, “Fire came forth from before G-d, and consumed them.”

Celebration turned to tragedy. The commentators offer many explanations for the harsh and exacting punishment….

Continue reading Fire: Holy and Unholy

The ‘elyonim’

Judaism’s first Sanctuary was being inaugurated. The crowds were out in force, the excitement was palapable, and the joy was, as you can imagine, immeasurable. Envision the ribbon-cutting ceremony of a cherished king’s new palace. Only in this case it was more so, seeing as how we were dealing with a shrine for the glory of the King of kings.

But in a heartbreaking anticlimactic sequence, the celebration went terribly wrong. The children of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, entered into the Holy of Holies. They assumed their incense would bring joy to the Creator, but it was their own recipe. And as they tragically discovered, when you play with fire, especially an ‘alien’ fire, you unfortunately get burnt.

Actually, it…

Continue reading The ‘elyonim’

What’s on the Menu?

Kabbalistic teachings examine all aspects of existence, including why the word “pig” has become a universal symbol of insult. If you don’t accept this fact, recall some of these timeless classics; Nazi pig, You live like a pig, Sexist pig, Cops are pigs, Greedy pig, You stink and eat like a pig, etc.

This most treif of all animals is mentioned together with the camel, the hyrax, and the hare. These four creatures are singled out due to an ambiguity surrounding their status. Since they possess one kosher sign but not the other, some might have considered them semi-kosher. The Torah thus sets the record straight.

However, even within this group of imposters and kosher-wannabees, the pig stands out. The…

Continue reading What’s on the Menu?

The Eighth Day

The name of this week’s Torah portion, Shemini (the eighth), refers to the day on which Aaron - the brother of Moses - and his sons were inducted as the priests in the new Sanctuary. It was also the day that G-d’s presence was revealed to the people.

The term “the eighth day” is used because those auspicious 24 hours came on the heels of the seven days during which the Mishkan (sanctuary) was consecrated. This however implies that the eighth day was a continuation of the previous seven and that presents a problem.

Seven is the number of days in a week, the measure of earthly time and a symbol of the human dimension. Eight, the number of holiness,...

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Question & Listen

The summer of 656 CE was hot and bloody. In the Arabian Peninsula temperatures ran high, but tempers flared even higher as an armed revolt erupted against the third Caliph (successor) since Mohammed. Only thirty four years had passed since the Koran had been written and already there existed scribal variations. Othman the Caliph issued an official text and declared all the others to be unkosher. This incensed the faithful of other tribal groups and a civil war arose which still plagues the Moslem world.

In contrast, the Five Books of Moses have enjoyed more than thirty three hundred years of consistency. Torahs today read exactly as they did when the Jews first crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land….

Continue reading Question & Listen

Mitzvah Preparations

Don’t look now but it’s coming fast and furious. Pesach , that is. In fact, if my calendar is telling the truth, in exactly twenty one days Jews the world over will be reclining at their respective Seders.

For the Greater Glory

The campaign began the morning after Yom Kippur. An architect, Betzalel son of Uri, was placed in charge, skilled volunteers were signed up and building materials were donated. Bureaucracy was minimal, the chain of command precise and permits in the desert were unneccesary.

So only a few months later, well before the Passover holiday, the construction of all the vessels, priestly clothes, walls, altars and curtains was complete. A week was set aside to consecrate the new Sanctuary and induct all the novice Kohanim. During the seven days Moses performed all the rituals and duties of a High Priest. Nonetheless, there was no visible response that Hashem above was paying attention to their ministrations below.

The Israelites, reliving the guilt…

Continue reading For the Greater Glory

What Are You Worth

I can sense you’re getting angry. You don’t like the question. You think it is the prelude to some sort of solicitation.

Stop! This has nothing to do with donations and your economic ability as it has to do with your intrinsic value. Let me explain.

In this week’s Torah portion of Shemini we are taught some of the laws concerning spiritual impurities. The halacha is that utensils made of wood and metal become spiritually unclean if a contaminated item touches them externally. On the other hand,
earthen vessels are rendered impure only if the contaminated object is within the vessel, but not by external contact.