Limping into Holiness
In December 2005, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, cofounder of the Crips, the violent Los Angeles street gang, was executed by lethal injection, paying the ultimate price for his violent past.
On the Holiness of Shmutz
A young man comes to a rabbi and says, "Rabbi, I would like to study Talmud with you."
"Very nice," says the rabbi. "May I ask what background you have in Talmud?"
"None," says the young man.
"I see," says the Rabbi. "Have you studied the Mishnah, which lies at its core?"
Haazinu for Tots
A guide to help adults learn how to engage young children in a discussion about this week’s Torah portion.
Down Payment on a Debt of Gratitude
My dad died this past summer. It was a good death. He was ninety-five years old, couldn't see or hear very well, and had a heart condition. But he got up every day, bathed and fed himself, took care of his dog, and stayed busy.
The Boundary at the Table: Forbidden Foods and Us
Just now, American society is reexamining the way it eats. Michael Pollan, in his best-selling book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manefesto , advises distinguishing between food and some of the poor imitations for food that we currently ingest (New York: Penguin Group, 2008).
Sh'mini: Your Body is a Temple
Once upon a time in a parallel universe that has yet to emerge, just one year from now, I had-or perhaps I should say, I will have-the most interesting experience: my heart stood still.
Numbers, Stories, and a Long Tradition of Ritual
Parashat Sh'mini -the eighth day; how many of our parashiyot start with a number? This eight comes after seven, of course-seven days devoted to the ordination of Aaron and the priests, who will now take on their full responsibilities in the Tabernacle (the Mishkan).
Disease and the Spirit
The words of our Torah portion are most frightening. They are frightening for the ways in which we identify: the experience is too familiar.
A "Both/And" Outlook in an "Either/Or" World
Few words unnerve a student preparing to become a bar or bat mitzvah more than, "Your Torah portion is about leprosy." Queasiness about Parashat Tazria is practically as old as our Jewish tradition, but we would remind ourselves that Ben Bag Bag also said with regard to Scripture, "Turn
M’tzora: Providing a Way Back from Prejudice
The laws pertaining to the person with what is commonly but incorrectly called leprosy, are very clear in this week's portion M'tzora. These skin diseases disclosed a condition of impurity, and therefore the afflicted persons went through a thorough process whereby they were distanced fr