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Episode 32: Shoftim - Justice Justice You Shall Pursue

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This week's Torah portion urges us repeatedly to pursue justice. The Torah uses the phrase “Tzedek tzedek tirdof” צֶדֶק צֶדֶק, תִּרְדֹּף (“Justice, justice, you shall pursue”) The verb tirdof is in the imperative, commanding us to engage in the work at hand. It teaches us to pursue the goal of Justice through means that are just and teaches us: Justice for ourselves and justice for the other.

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Episode 30: Matot-Massei - Cities of Refuge

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This is the last Torah Portion from the book of numbers. The Israelites are so close to the promised land but before they can enter the promised land God tells Moses that they must create cities of refuge. Today we might call them Sanctuary cities. Today when we are talking about Sanctuary cities we are talking about protecting undocumented immigrants in the United States.

The Torah Laws related to the cities of refuge are unique. The Torah says that when a person accidentally kills another person he may flee to one of these cities. The Torah says that as long as a person is within the boundaries of one of these cities they will be protected. These cities were intended for everyone, Israelites, and non-Israelites all were protected by God.

This week’s Torah portion is talking about people who accidentally kill but I can’t help but draw a connection between to our obligation to protect human life. There are so many people in our world who are seeking protection, a city of refuge a city of refuge.

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Episode 29: Balak - Ma Tovu a Curse Becomes a blessing

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Ma tovu….How great are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! These words are the opening lines of a prayer that many Jews say when entering a synagogue. These words appear in this week’s Torah Portion in Number 24:5. Where Balaam is sent to curse the Israelites. But instead, Balaam is overcome the awe and awesomeness of God and the Israelites' places of worship. Rashi says that Balaam is overcome by the modesty that the Israelites maintained while traveling in the desert. So even though Balaam was sent to curse the Israelites the words that come out of his mouth are actually a blessing a blessing of praise.

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Episode 28: Chukat, Grief and Loss

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In this week’s Torah portion we learn that Miriam dies She is the sibling of Aaron and Moses. A funny thing happens when Miriam dies; all of a sudden the Israelites are without water. Rabbis of our tradition have long connected Miriam with the water that the Israelites drank and without the water Israelites are in a panic and worried they are going to die of thirst.

So Moses prays to God. God tells Moses to assemble the Israelites and go find a rock and order the rock to yield water. God promises Moses that water will come from the rock.

But Moses does something a little differently instead he strikes the rock not once but twice out of anger. Copious amounts of water come from the rock. Then God Tells Moses he will not be allowed into the Promised Land

Moses has put up with so much why did he strike the rock out of anger. I think Moses is grieving and confronting his own mortality. When people are grieving they may lose sight of their normal emotions and may not act like they normally do and they may be angry.
Moses has lost his big sister Miriam, he knows he is about to lose his brother Aaron. The three of them were a team and now he is told he will not enter into the promised land and Israelites keep complaining and will not let him grieve. I’d probably strike a rock, hit a rock instead of speaking to it.

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Episode 26: Shelach Lecha and Courage

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The lesson that we learn from this week’s Torah portion is simple. If you think you can you will and if you think you can’t then you won’t. It’s all about attitude. 
In this week’s Torah portion, Moses chooses twelve men to go to the Promised Land to see whether it is conquerable and inhabitable. Ten of the men come back saying that it’s not possible to conquer the land because they perceive that giants live there. Two of the men, Joshua and Caleb, come back saying, “We can do it”. They are ready to fight. The ten men who lack courage saw themselves as very small, saying they are as “grasshoppers” in the eyes of the inhabitants of the land, and in their own eyes as well. They lacked the self-confidence it takes to do what is required and they lacked faith in God. And therefore condemned the rest of the Israelites to wander in the desert for 40 years. 
If you see failure everywhere you will fail. Think positively, believe that you can and you will and can conquer whatever comes your way.

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Episode 23: Behar-Bechukotai - You Shall Proclaim Freedom

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In this week's Torah portion, Behar - Bechukotai (Leviticus 25:1-27:34)God tells Moses to speak to the Israelites and say to them when you enter the land that I assign to you the land shall observe a sabbath. God says that the Israelites can work the land for six years but on the seventh year the land gets a Shabbat of complete rest.

The Torah goes further: not only is every seventh year meant to be a shmita aka a sabbatical year but after seven-time seven years the 50th year "Jubilee," and that year too is a year of rest. 
During the Jubilee, all debts are canceled; slaves are released, and any land transactions which have taken place are annulled so that the land can return to its original caretakers
God says you shall proclaim freedom throughout the land
These are also the same words inscribed on our nation’s liberty bell and I think it’s important to remember Our country has made a lot of mistakes through the years but one thing is true we are constantly striving to live up to the ideals and values laid out by the founders of this country.

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Episode 22: Emor - Be Kind

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This week's Torah portion is Emor (Leviticus 21:1–24:23)and the Torah is reminding us to be kind. 
"And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the LORD am your God."

Remember we are created in the image of God. We are not strangers we are all related.

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Episode 21: Acharei -Kedoshim - Let’s talk about Love

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Let’s talk about Love This week’s torah portion Acharei Mot Kedoshim. Is about love. And it contains what we often call the holiness code. A blueprint for how we as a people living in a society should strive to behave.

The opening words are: And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the people of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.

Then God explains how people can be holy. God teaches us to Judge others fairly, to not hate our neighbors in our hearts, and to observe God’s laws.

And to love. The Torah says You shall love your neighbor as yourself . We are to love each other, what a concept. We often call this the Golden rule. There is a story in the Talmud. A non Jew comes to Rabbi Hillel and says I’ll convert to Judaism if you teach me the whole Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel replied “which is hateful to you do not do to another. That is the entire Torah and the rest is commentary, now go study

This week’s Torah portion insist that all people must be treated with love. If we can remember to love each other anyone can live a holy life. You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.

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Episode 20: Tazria-Metzora - The Importance of Health to Maintain our Closeness with God

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This week’s Torah Portion is a double portion Tazria-Metzora and it is portion we love to hate because it’s all about skin diseases, bodily emissions, and other health conditions. These physical conditions make a person temporarily unfit to be close to God.

Question: What are some ways that you restore yourself when you feel sick, not whole or not close to God?

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Episode 15: Vayakhel-Pekudei

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This week we read a double portion Vayakhel-Pekudei. Moses assembles the people and tells them about the sanctuary they are to build but before that happens Moses tells them that God commands them to work six days but on the seventh day they shall rest. The seventh day is a holy day. The commandment to rest precedes the command to work. This tells us just how important it is for us to rest. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. 
For many Jews today, many Jews Shabbat seems like a day of restrictions rather than an awesome day intended for rejuvenation. Shabbat is intended to be vacation from your workday world. Use it to reconnect with your family, spend time with your partner and or invite friends over to share a meal. Shabbat is God’s gift to us, every week of the year you are guaranteed a day off.