Rabbi Lewis M. Barth

Rabbi Lewis M. Barth is Professor Emeritus, Midrash and Related Literature Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles.

M'tzora

Slander and Sliding Scales: The Legacy of Parashat M'tzora

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Lewis M. Barth

April 24, 2015

Parashat M'tzora is one of those Torah portions that-at first glance-contains subject matter that doesn't seem to speak to the religious strivings or spiritual sensibilities of contemporary Reform Jewry. Its topics include purification rites for people with leprosy or other skin eruptions and for houses in which mold appears. Leviticus...

Vayikra

Biblical Sacrifices and Choosing a President

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Lewis M. Barth

March 10, 2015

The season of electioneering is upon us. Following the four-year cycle, as in the past, citizens of our nation currently face the awesome responsibility of choosing our next president. In the coming months, we will be courted and regaled with tales and testimonials about the various candidates' best and worst...

Vayak'heil

Appreciating the Giver as Well as the Gift

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Lewis M. Barth

March 4, 2015

The Torah portion Vayak’heil (Exod. 35:1-38:20) presents Moses' speech to the Israelite community at one of the many special gatherings or convocations of the Hebrews during their wanderings in the desert. The speech opens with a brief restatement of the commandment to keep the Sabbath. However, the topic of Moses'...

B'shalach

Perplexing Problems of Divine Power

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Lewis M. Barth

January 23, 2015

Parashat B'shalach (Exodus 13:17-17:16) contains a startling mixture of themes and symbols: manifestations of God's power and miracles, God and Israel testing each other, complaints against Moses and Aaron, water, manna, and the staff of God. It is the bridge between the redemption from Egyptian slavery and the revelation at...

Vayechi

The Power of Deathbed Promises

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Lewis M. Barth

December 23, 2014

Parashat Va-y'chi concludes the Book of Genesis. It is a mixture of narrative and poetry, of blessings and curses, of promises and anxiety about the future. As we shall see, the last moments in the lives of the patriarch Jacob and of his son Joseph come to represent crucial foundational...