Aaron
- 5784, Aaron, Altar of Incense, Anointing, Exodus, Ki Tisa, Menorah, Messiah, Moses, Offering, Oil, Parsha, Priests, Shemot, Spices, Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting, Worship, משיח, שמן
The Spices of משיח
The sensory event of the Tent of Meeting and service therein continues in this week’s parsha, Ki Tisa. From the fashion and ringing sounds of the priestly garments (as well as the fabric, metal,…
- 5784, Aaron, Archaeology, Bell, Birthday, Clothing, Colors, Exodus, Forty, Garments, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Israel, Jerusalem, Old City, Parsha, Pomegranates, Priests, Shemot, Tetzaveh
Ringing the Birthday Bells
Today, as I enter my fifth decade of life, the adorning details of the Tabernacle continue in Parashat Tetzaveh, now describing how those who serve in the Tabernacle are to dress. On my…
- 5784, Aaron, Banquet, Elders, Exodus, Feet, Food and Drink, Isaiah, Leaders, Mishpatim, Mitzvah, Moses, Parsha, Physical Presence, Rules, Sapphire, Shemot, Sinai, Splendor, Torah
Approaching the Divine
Parashat Mishpatim is full of rules, including those that leave the Hebrew people with timeless principles as well as situational directions that seem specific to a certain lifestyle. Indeed, many of the injunctions which…
- 5784, Aaron, Battle, Beshalach, Egypt, Exodus, Fear, Midbar, Miriam, Moses, Music, Parsha, Pharaoh, Philistines, Red Sea, Shemot, Songs, War, Wilderness
Fear of Battle, Praise of Miracles
At a time when we again feel the emotions of watching war, fighting, death, fear, loss of home and land, the first two verses of Parashat Beshalach resounded with me. וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֮ אֶת־הָעָם֒…
- 5784, Aaron, Bo, Death, Egypt, Exodus, Hardened, Moses, Parsha, Passover, Pesach, Pharaoh, Plagues, Power, Promises, Protection, Redemption, Shemot, Threats
Death Threats
As Moshe and Aaron continued to encounter Pharaoh and negotiate the freedom of the Hebrew slaves, death hung in the air, actualized through certain plagues (even before the last sign). Parashat Bo continues to…
- 5784, Aaron, Bo, Egypt, Exodus, Ibn Ezra, Judges, Midrash, Moses, Parsha, Pharaoh, Plagues, Prophet, Rashi, Shemot, Vaera, Voice
How to be אלהים…
As G!d continued to guide Moshe and share what would be involved in being an agent of redemption from slavery for the Hebrew people in parashat Vaera, G!d stated at the beginning of chapter…
- 5784, Aaron, Burning Bush, Egypt, Exodus, Freedom, I Am Who I Am, Jacob, Levites, Midian, Miriam, Moses, Names, Parsha, Pharaoh, Shemot, Slavery, Tzipporah, Voice
Placing Names, Naming Places
And so Shemot/Exodus, in the parsha (Shemot) of the same name, begins as our last parsha of Genesis/Bereshit ended: walking us through the generations (by names, literally שמות) of Jacob’s descendants. The missing…
- Aaron, Bamidbar, Brooklyn, Egypt, Exodus, Forgiveness, Lamentations, Masei, Matot, Miriam, Moses, Numbers, Parsha, Priests, Slavery, Tisha B'Av, Voice
What’s in a Voice?
Last week, I gave the D’var Torah on the double parsha Matot-Masei for Shir HaMa’alot, an independent minyan/chavurah in Brooklyn. The main text follows. ********* Some of you may remember that in last…
- 5782, Aaron, Chukat, Community, Death, Eleazar, Journey, Midbar, Miracles, Miriam, Moses, Parsha, Poetry, Priests, Punishment, Purity, Red Heifer, Sacrifice, Seraphim, Songs
Fierce: Consequences, Journeying, Whining, Song
Three chapters pack in a lot of action this week in Parashat Chukat. When I first read the text and was pondering what stuck out to me this year, I realized that the…
- Aaron, Challah, Death, Fire, Hebrew, Kashrut, Komps Kaos, Leviticus, Offering, Parsha, Presence, Priests, Purity, Rabbis, Shmini, Tabernacle, Vayikra, Worship
A Ceremony of Death & Kashrut
The first chapter of Parashat Shmini ceremoniously presents G!d’s appearance before the Israelites, after a series of instructions which they follow, led by the priests. I really wanted to say unceremoniously, even though…
