Shavuot. Celebration of Torah, harvest, and mysticism. Literally, Shavuot means the Feast of “Weeks.” Shavuot marks the end of a…
Tag: Torah
Terumah: Did God Create Humans or Did Humans Create God?
“Did God create humans or did humans create God?” That, said my study group, is a question posed by Parshat…
Matriarch of a Certain Lineage: Rebecca
Rebecca. Matriarch of the Jewish people. That’s right. Matriarch, not patriarch. Her story shows that Torah is not a patriarchal…
Justice: Where the Torah's moral arc bends
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. So said Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.…
Sacred Text: Do the first few lines tell the whole story?
A sacred text begins carefully. Powerfully. Precisely. As it should — because the opening lines introduce a spiritual tradition. Just…
Highlights of Torah in 150 words or less? Let Devarim inspire you
Loving the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) has been a struggle for me. The grammar is weird. Some verbs have unwieldy…
The Entire Torah is Just a Manifesto for Women's Rights. Torah Portion Mattot-Masei tells us so!
Oh boy! Oh girl! Look at the opening sentences of Parshat Mattot-Masei (Numbers 30:2-36:13). Women can vow to work at…
Patriarchy in the Torah? It's Complicated! Just look at Torah portion Pinchas!
Torah showcases the patriarchy. Of course! It reflects the patriarchal society in which it was written. Reflects. You gotta love that mirror…
Radical Vegetarian Priests
You could say it’s a downer month in the yearly cycle of Torah readings. Week after week of animal sacrifices.…