Passover has come and gone. It was the start of a journey. And Shavuot (this Wednesday, May 15) is the ending of that journey and the beginning of a new and improved journey. It is the day that we receive Divine revelation. It is the day that we start to see our hard work over the last several months start to manifest in this world. It is the day we bring those first fruits to the temple, that sacred space … Continue reading
Hello all you wilderness seekers, That’s right, we have finally made it into the book of the wilderness. This shabbat we will read parsha (weekly Torah portion) B’meedbar (which means wilderness in Hebrew), and this pasha also happens to be the first parsha of the fourth book of the Torah. This book has the same name as the parsha, but is called Numbers in English because it begins and ends with a census of all the tribes. Let’s wander into … Continue reading
Tonight is a peaceful night after a beautiful day here in Eugene. This shabbat (Saturday) we read a parsha (weekly Torah portion) called Emor which means, “Tell.” Why? Because the parsha begins with haShem (god) telling Moshe (Moses) to TELL to the priests, the sons of Aharon a whole lot of things such as not to become tamae (mixed) by the soul of a member of the nation. The implication here is that the soul means when a person dies … Continue reading
First, what is an Omer? And why do we count them? And how does counting these… omers lead to self improvement (which I am implying by the title of this post)? The answer to the first two questions are easy. Omer is the Hebrew word for a sheaf of grain. The main Jewish sacred text, the Torah, tells us that we should bring sheaves of barley to the sacred place, the place where the divine infinite safely intersects our finite … Continue reading
We are on a roll. This week is our second double parsha (weekly Torah portion) in a row. It is called Acharai-Kedushim, though some call it Acharai mot-Kedushim. The reason for the extra word is because the first word, acharai, means after, and some people feel that is not a distinctive enough word. The second word means death. The name of the second of our two parshas is called Kedushim which is the plural form of the verb, “To separate … Continue reading
Why is Pesach (Passover) 7 days? We have the first night seder meal, and then the next day (the first day of Pesach), we leave Egypt. Done. Why drag it out? The only thing I can think is that there must be something that happens on the 7th day that is at least as important. Let’s see… according to the Torah, we leave Egypt and travel 3 days and then turn around and back-track for 3 days until we come … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (weekly Torah portion) is called, “Key tisa,” which literally means, “That you will raise.” The verse continues with, “The heads of the children of Yisrael to redeem them and give a man atonement of his soul to haShem (god) in redeeming them and there will not be in them a plague in their redemption.” Basically we are talking here of the first census of the people, but I do find it interesting that the raising of the … Continue reading
Once again it is time for our visit with the parsha (weekly Torah portion). The parsha for this week is called T’tzveh which can mean you will command and/or you will join. The parsha starts with haShem (god) talking to Moshe (Moses) and saying, “Atah t’tzveh,” or, “You will command/connect the children of Yisrael and they will take to you pure pressed olive oil for lighting the eternal candle.” One shabbat a few years back, someone pointed out that this … Continue reading
This week we read a parsha (weekly Torah portion) called Mishpatim, which means sentences in Hebrew. The word can be used just like the English word; for both a sentence like the one you are reading, or what a judge pronounces. In the parsha it is used in the latter way, for the parsha Mishpatim is almost all about laws concerning how to live. First, we read about how to treat a Hebrew slave. We then read of laws regarding … Continue reading
This week’s parsha (Torah portion) was made for all the musicians in the audience. In it we find Miriam striking up the band as we sing the song of freedom after crossing through the Yam Soof (Sea of Reeds). However, I am getting a little ahead of myself. First, we’ve got to get there, and then we can sing, and then continue on our merry (?) journey to a date with the divine itself. Our parsha starts out by reminding … Continue reading