Thinking Torah Blog

When we recite the Un’taneh Tokef, the most powerful line comes after all the possible fates we may face in the year ahead: “Through t’shuvah (repentance), t’fillah (prayer), and tzedakah (righteous giving), we can transcend the harshness of the decree.”

T’shuvah is deeply personal—it happens within. T’fillah is a conversation between the individual and God. Tzedakah is our sacred responsibility to one another, linking...Read more...

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, opens with the ritual of bringing the first fruits, bikkurim. Each Israelite was asked to place their harvest before God and say, “My ancestor was a wandering Aramean…” Rather than a private prayer of thanks, Torah gives us a public ritual of remembrance, a moment to recall our sacred narrative and the redemption that brought us to this day. 

Our sages teach that this declaration is...Read more...

You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that the Eternal your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. - Deuteronomy 16:18 

Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9 

SUMMARY

-Laws regarding both sacred and secular legislation are addressed. The Israelites are told that in every dealing they should pursue...Read more...

I have always found the Motzi to be one of our most intriguing blessings. We recite it more often than almost any other blessing, traditionally before eating bread, yet its words are puzzling. We say, Hamotzi Lechem Min Ha’Aretz—“Who brings forth bread from the earth.” But bread does not actually come from the earth. Wheat comes from the earth, of course, but transforming wheat into bread takes tremendous effort, mostly the work of...Read more...

This week, we open a new book of the Torah, D’varim, also known as Deuteronomy. Here begins a retelling of the story of the Israelites since their departure from Egypt, as they now stand poised to enter the Promised Land. It feels like such a deeply human moment in the narrative.

When we are on the cusp of a new chapter in life, about to celebrate an accomplishment or step into...Read more...

As many of you know, my summer program in Israel was canceled due to the war with Iran. While I was deeply disappointed to miss the chance to study with my cohort, the unexpected change opened the door to something else: a week at Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI), the Reform Movement camp in Zionsville, Indiana, where around 25 of our Ann Arbor kids are spending their summer. I reached out, and GUCI was kind...Read more...

Most of us fall short of the ideals we set for ourselves. We hope to be saints, but often we are simply human beings doing our best in a world that does not always make it easy. Even Moses, our most revered prophet, made mistakes. This week in Parashat Chukat, Moses learns that he will not enter the Promised Land because of a mistake he made. Like it or not, there are consequences, even for mistakes. Yet ideals still matter. They are not...Read more...

As this new war unfolds between Israel and Iran, I imagine most of us look on in fear as we watch missiles fall, lives end, and destruction ensue. We wonder what it all means. Was Israel right to launch an attack? Will the Iranian regime survive this war? Will Israel? And how might this affect diaspora Jewry?

There are far more questions than answers at this stage. Still, one thing seems clear to me. While most political issues in...Read more...

A significant section of this week’s Torah portion, Nasso, focuses on the laws of the Nazarite. In ancient times, there were two types of Nazarites: those who were Nazarites from birth—think Samson—and those who took on Nazarite vows for a limited period. These temporary vows were often a way for someone to draw closer to God, to pursue a sense of holiness associated with the priesthood, or perhaps to...Read more...

In October 2018, even in the aftermath of the Charlottesville rally, many of us were caught entirely off-guard by the Pittsburgh Tree of Life massacre. Yes, we were concerned about rising antisemitism, but none of us predicted that a white nationalist would walk into a synagogue and murder eleven people simply because they were Jews. Pittsburgh confirmed what we knew to be true: if Jews were going to be murdered in America, we could...Read more...

The Eternal One spoke to Moses after the death the two sons of Aaron who died when they drew too close to the presence of the Eternal. - Leviticus 16:1 The Eternal One spoke to Moses saying: "Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God, am holy." - Leviticus 19:1-2

TORAH, Leviticus 16:1-20:27

SUMMARY 

- The duties that the head kohein...Read more...

On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel. - Leviticus 9:1 

TORAH, Leviticus 9:1-11:47 

SUMMARY 

- Aaron and his sons follow Moses' instructions and offer sacrifices so that God will forgive the people. (9:1-24) 

- Two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, offer "alien fire" to God. God punishes these two...Read more...

The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: "Command Aaron and his sons thus: This is the ritual of the burnt offering: The burnt offering itself shall remain where it is burned upon the altar all night until morning, while the fire on the altar is kept going on it." - Leviticus 6:1-2

TORAH, Leviticus 6:1−8:36 

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These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Pact, which were drawn up at Moses' bidding--the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. - Exodus 38:21 

TORAH, Exodus 38:21-40:38 

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As the world continues to shift beneath our feet, the Jewish community is also navigating new dynamics. In the last few weeks, we’ve witnessed a series of global changes that make some of us feel as if we’re living in an upside-down reality. Sadly, the Jewish world is not immune to this turmoil. Two recent events, in particular, have deeply pained me, even as I recognize the political calculations behind...Read more...