Who Is Rich? Those Who Are Happy With What They Have
Parashat B'haalot'cha takes up the issue of the perils of materialism that Rabbinic interpreters found implicit in a verse from last week's portion, Numbers 6:24, "The Eternal bless you [with possessions] and protect you [from your possessions possessing you]." An incident occurring in t
L’dor Vador
From the time of the wilderness wanderings, the Levites formed an important part of the Israelite socio-economic structure.
The Blessing and the Curse of Material Prosperity
The separate census of the Levites' ancestral houses, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari and their clans, begun in the prior portion, continues in Parashat Naso, along with the assignment of specific tasks to those between the ages of thirty and fifty.
Encountering the Sacred in Uncharted Lands
A core teaching of Jewish spiritual practice is our readiness to read the Torah in many different ways. We find meaning and significance across entire books; or we zoom in, such that an individual letter or even an accent mark fills our field of vision and discloses sacred truth.
Insight into Parashat B’midbar
After weeks of dwelling upon the ideal, the vision that Leviticus sets forth of the pure and holy community the Israelites were commanded to construct, B'midbar ("In the Wilderness"), the Book of Numbers, brings the Torah back to the real, nitty-gritty world of conflict, dissension, and
What Is a Blessing?
Parashat Naso, the second portion in the Book of Numbers, incorporates some of the Torah's most challenging passages and one of its most beautiful ones.
Attempt to Enter the Promised Land, Take One: Fail
The end of this week's parashah includes some short, but memorable pieces of legislation: the explanation for why we tithe a little dough when making challah (Numbers 15:20-21); the killing of the man who gathered wood on Shabbat (Numbers 15:32-36); and the instructions to wear tzitzit w
Fateful Words Can Have Fatal Consequences
The Jewish people's turbulent saga of disillusionment with liberation takes a new and momentarily promising turn this Shabbat, with a foray into the land of Canaan by twelve scouts.
Who May Lead the People of God?
In this week's parashah, we learn about the uprising of 250 Israelites, led by Korah, Abiram, On, and Dathan, who are dissatisfied with the structure of the fledgling nation of Israel.
What's Your Problem?
An Israeli slang expression from the 1970s aptly describes the response many modern readers bring to this week's portion, Korach: Ma bashcha?