Thwarting Evil, Saving Lives
The narrative of Parashat Pinchas is disturbing: the grandson of the High Priest Aaron slew two people, and was rewarded. Was he a zealot or not? He took lives. Did he save lives?
Rabbi Elyse Frishman
Paradox and Faith: The Art of Holiness
" In the beginning, God created . . . B'reishit bara Elohim et . . ." (Genesis 1:1). Et is the fourth word of Torah and it has no meaning.
Nothing Is Merely Ordinary!
Judaism teaches us to distinguish the holy.
A Bag of Bones, Beauty, and Blessing
On the day that the Mishkan was fully erected, the princely chieftains were instructed to bring identical tribal offerings to the Mishkan (Numbers 7:10).
Surviving an Economic Wilderness
With Shavuot coming, we begin a new book of Torah, the Book of Numbers, B'midbar . Contrasting Vayikra and B'midbar , the former focuses on how to live in holy ways, whereas B'midbar is filled with confrontation. Vayikra describes what would take place within the Mishkan , providing opportunities for spiritual cleansing and elevation including the most personal details of life.
