In this Torah portion, Ki Tisa, the 10 Commandments are written “with the finger of G-d” (Exodus 31:18), the people lose patience waiting at the bottom of the mountain for Moses and build a Golden Calf, Moses breaks the tablets and goes back up for another set. Ransoming the Soul In her dvar Torah Making […]
Belief Transcends Experience
A couple of weeks ago my Visual Torah sketchnote talked about how cultic rules were adapted in the Diaspora. This week’s Torah portion, parsha T’tzaveh, contains another great example. The Cultic Ner Tamid T’tzaveh talks of commandment to create a lamp that is continuously light using beaten olive oil. This lamp was called the […]
Sometimes Instructions are Not Enough
In this week’s Torah portion, called “T’rumah” (literally “gifts”), the Children of Israel are called to donate gifts for the building of the desert Tabernacle, that G-d might “dwell among them.” Pretty detailed building plans are laid out by G-d from which Moses would build. The Menorah I focused on the details of the menorah (yes, […]
These are the Rules
What’s more important, the “what” or the “why”? What do you do if the very foundation of your culture is destroyed? Do you throw out every rule from the past or do you look at the “why” behind each rule and adapt them to the new normal? Interpersonal and Cultic Laws This week’s Torah portion, […]
Servant Leadership Lessons from Jethro and Moses
“The Torah portion for this week, Yitro, teaches us that we must look beyond the superficial qualities when it comes to choosing a good leader. It helps us understand that there are certain criteria for leadership that transcend political, ethnic, and socioeconomic boundaries.” Thus begins a dvar Torah on parsha Yitro by Rabbi Sharon L. Sobol. Yitro […]