Parshat Balak is most famous for its four-legged character. A Torah portion with a talking donkey should certainly be ripe for creative interpretation! As you read this week’s portion, see if you can find the connection to these songs: The late Chris Cornell and Soundgarden For King and Country Pat Benatar Blind Continue Reading »
The Torah includes many laws that make perfect sense, and stories with endings that fit the script. But this week, we have the law of the Red Heifer, with no rational explanation, and the punishment of Moses and Aaron, which defies satisfactory explanation. The best way to navigate Parshat Hukkat is, of course, with song! What made Continue Reading »
The tension mounts in the wilderness. Maybe the heat was getting to them, but now another group of Israelites causes God, Moshe and Aharon more headaches. As you read the Torah portion, think about how these songs connect to the text: The theatrics of Peter Gabriel Surly Billy Idol Freddie and the Continue Reading »
There’s lots of agita in the Torah portions of Sefer Bemidbar, and Parshat Shelah-Lekha is no exception. The scouting mission goes awry, and the adult Israelite population is doomed to wander in the wilderness until they die out. Still, there’s plenty of music connected to the Torah reading. The variety of artists is about as diverse as the Continue Reading »
This week’s Torah portion is rich and diverse, with many themes and narratives. As you read it, see if you can figure out the connections of these songs to Parshat Beha’alotekha. You may have to get creative, because I tried to be! Vance Joy First track from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours Listen to the Chairman of Continue Reading »
As of this writing, Israel’s conflict with Gaza continues, and we pray for quiet soon. No one should have to spend Shabbat, or any time, in a bomb shelter. It’s good for us to hear music and read the Torah portion, and perhaps it’s also a healthy distraction from the anxiety of the news. Continue Reading »
This has been a traumatic week for our brothers and sisters in Israel. We pray for their safety, and we wish for all innocent people to be able to live without fear. I am grateful to the many people who reached out to check in on our children in Israel; your concern for them and Continue Reading »
One way to look at the long section of warnings that we read this week is that there are far more “curses” than blessings. Simple math would bear out this reading; there are 11 verses connected to “If you follow My laws,” and 30 that follow “but if you do not obey Me.” But lest Continue Reading »
If last week’s Torah reading reminded us of Yom Kippur, then this one should have us thinking about the other holidays on our calendar. After all, we read a good chunk of Parshat Emor on the first days of Sukkot and the second day of Pesah. And it includes the commandment to count the Omer, which we have Continue Reading »
This week. we read another double Torah portion. Much of Aharei-Mot is familiar to us from Yom Kippur, both morning and afternoon. And then there’s Kedoshim, which includes the moral core of the Hebrew Bible. It’s worth reading carefully, and as you do, you may understand why I chose these songs: Neil Young From a movie Continue Reading »
