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Treating the M’tzora in Each Generation
Treating a person with a disease is the subject of this week's Torah portion. In Parashat M'tzora, we read about the ancient priests who served as diagnosticians for a skin disease known as tzara'at. The priests served as biblical dermatologists, assessing the skin condition and rendering a diagnosis and a treatment plan.
Birds of a Feather (Don’t Always) Flock Together: Sacred Ornithology and Efforts for Peace
The fishing guides on Florida’s Anna Maria Island had affectionately named him Jerry. Jerry was a Great White Egret who stood over three feet tall and perched on a worn wooden beam in close proximity to the shore. The anglers would share bits of unused fishing bait with Jerry, who would quickly consume the scraps between the sharp snap of his golden yellow beak.
When a Hallway is Sacred: Priests and Purity
An article in the New York Times describes a moving ritual by hospital staff to honor a deceased person who intends to be an organ donor. This ritual stuck in my mind. I was struck by the way in which the hospital staff had created a ritual, complete with special choreography and the involvement of the entire community, to honor this poignant moment.
When Sacrifice Tastes Like Chicken
The second chapter of Parashat Vayikra, begins "V'nefesh ki takriv korban mincha …" When a person [or soul] presents an offering of meal to the Eternal, the offering shall be of choice flour; oil shall be poured on it, frankincense laid on it." (Lev. 2:1) While the Hebrew word nefesh is understood in this context to mean a person, it also can mean "soul."
Sacred Nephrology in Parashat Tzav and The Power of Two
Our Torah portion, though in a very different context, mentions pairs of kidneys as well. This week we have arrived at Parashat Tzav, meaning "command," which is part of a series of parshiyot in Leviticus outlining the laws and procedures for different sacrifices. Tzav describes (among other sacrifices) a "guilt offering," which is made as reparation for a transgression. The guilt offering divides the offering into parts that are completely burned and "turned to smoke on the altar," and the rest is meant to feed the priests. (Lev 7:6) The parts "turned to smoke" and sacrificed to God included the kidneys.
Evolving Justice
I was recently called to jury service in Los Angeles. As imperfect as this complicated, human system of law may be, the jury selection made me proud to be an American, especially as the judge instructed the potential jurors about the meaning of “presumed innocent.”
Morality in War, Then and Now
We begin our parashah in the fortieth, and thus, final year of Israel's desert trek toward the Promised Land. The people are encamped on the eastern side of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.
Preaching on the Haftarah and Reassessing Tishah B’Av
Parashat Mas’ei is the concluding reading from the biblical Book of Numbers and is filled with a wealth of historical detail. This year, the Shabbat on which we read Mas’ei comes at the beginning of month of Av.