Why be good? Why bother? This painfully simple question is at the root of religious and philosophical thought. In more complex language, it raises the tension between the intrinsic and extrinsic value of our actions. In other words, do we do what is right–in this case, observance of God’s mitzvot–because those commandments are intrinsically good Continue Reading »
In our tradition of mitzvot, we are commanded to do (or not to do) many things. Rarely are we commanded to feel something. Love, in particular, is rarely commanded; in fact, such a mitzvah appears just three times in the Torah. We are required to love our fellow [as ourselves] (Leviticus 19:18); we must love Continue Reading »
We always “celebrate” Shabbat, but this particular Shabbat is the most mournful one of the year. It is called Shabbat Hazon, based on the opening word of our haftarah and the Book of Isaiah. That passage is a scathing critique of Israel’s behavior, foretelling the fall of the First Jewish Commonwealth. Most of the haftarah Continue Reading »
Until this week, I wasn’t familiar with the word “prolix,” an adjective meaning “tediously lengthy.” (I was familiar with the concept; just not the word.) Then I stumbled on it twice in one day. Once was while reading about the 2011 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, which invites submissions of the worst possible opening sentence to a Continue Reading »
When Mayor Bloomberg’s mother, Charlotte Rubens Bloomberg, died earlier this week, we read how little her son’s immense wealth and fame changed her personality and values. She was happy to remain in her modest house in Medford, MA. When he sent limousines to pick her up, she reimbursed him. She was proud of him, but Continue Reading »
“I’d like to use my lifeline, Regis.” With these words, a contestant on the hit TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire can phone a friend, ask the audience, or narrow the choices from four to two and “stay alive” in the game. The show’s creators picked an interesting term for these helping Continue Reading »
Chronology seems to be less important to the Torah than it is to us. While we often take great pains to establish the sequence of particular events, the Torah’s narratives are sometimes arranged out of chronological order. This non-linear style of story-telling is affirmed by Rashi, the great 11th-century commentator, with his principle of Ein Continue Reading »
We sometimes feel a tremendous weight on our shoulders. What is it that we are feeling? The sons of Kehat, Levi’s grandchildren, had enough already on their shoulders, so Moshe didn’t make them schlep anything more to the Mishkan Dedication Ceremony. While the Gershonites and Merarites had plenty of animals and carts to bring, their cousins were spared: Continue Reading »
There is no doubt that we are all products of our environment. But while last week, my reference to the environment was in ecological terms, this time I’d like us to consider “the ‘hood”–where we grew up, and where we live now. In Parshat Bemidbar, we read of the Israelite’s housing arrangements. The tribes will Continue Reading »
Last week, our Torah portion emphasized the mitzvah of Shemittah, the sabbatical year of rest for the land. In our look inside this commandment during services last Shabbat morning, we noted that the following week’s parshah, Behukotai, mentions the threat of exile if the Israelites do not observe the laws of Shemittah with bitter irony: Continue Reading »
