Priests
- 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…
- Deuteronomy, Devarim, Dissertation, Judges, Kings, Messiah, Moses, Parsha, Priests, Prophet, Redemption, Sacrifice, Shoftim
Prophets, Priests, & Kings
Shoftim has it all…every popular messiah-type, that is! After declaring how the shared responsibility of community judgment should be directed, along with an all-too-familiar helping of laws to keep the community pure, the…
- 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…
- Affliction, Discharge, Infection, Komps Kaos, Leprosy, Leviticus, Loneliness, Medicine, Metzora, Outcasts, Parsha, Plagues, Priests, Quarantine, Sickness, Skin Diseases, Society, Suffering, Vayikra
Quarantined
We don’t think very much about leprosy today. This “ancient” disease plagued people in the Bible (Tanakh), and later in the New Testament. Those who suffered from such a communicable disease were outcasts…
- 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…
- Aaron, Anointing, Ceremony, Instructions, Intention, Israelites, Komps Kaos, Leviticus, Nation, Offering, Parsha, Priests, Purim, Service, Shul, Tzav, Vayikra, Worship
Pure Intentions…
In Parashat Tzav, instructions for offerings continue, as well as instructions for what the priests should offer to G!d. Rather than allowing Aaron and his sons to simply be covered by the offering…
- Beauty, Exodus, Faithfulness, Freedom, Instructions, Komps Kaos, Oppression, Parsha, Pekudei, Physical Presence, Priests, Promises, Redemption, Relationship, Shemot, Slavery, Tabernacle, Temple, Tent of Meeting
Enduring Beauty
Every year when I read Exodus, I begin to feel like the last few weeks’ parshiyot are a long repetition (in case that wasn’t obvious to you from my recent reflections). Maybe they’re…
- Altar, Clothing, Consecration, Exodus, Holiness, Komps Kaos, Menorah, Moses, Offering, Parsha, Priests, Shemot, Sinai, Splendor, Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting, Tetzaveh
The Best Dressed Priests
Do you think about how your religious leaders or representatives dress? Is there anything special about what they wear to do their job? what they wear every day? Do you think their clothing…
