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An Outsider’s Perspective
Jul 12, 2008 By David M. Ackerman | Commentary | Balak
Once in a while, an outsider’s view yields a crystal clear vision of essential qualities not quite visible to those on the inside.
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Recognizing God’s Gifts
Jul 5, 2008 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Hukkat
There is a voice that echoes in my memory; so distinctive that I can recall it clearly even today.
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Reading Like the Rabbis
Jun 28, 2008 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Korah
Grab a thick book and a cold drink and head for a comfy chair at a lake, beach, or pool. Lose yourself in luxurious chapters of artful narrative and savor the unique culture of a well-constructed novel or the incisive analysis of a work of nonfiction. This is the great joy of summer reading: to slow down enough to indulge in what is otherwise impossible, to enter the world of literature.
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God’s True Strength (And Ours Too)
Jun 21, 2008 By Mychal Springer | Commentary | Shelah Lekha
In this week’s Torah portion, Shelah Lekha, God tells Moses to send twelve scouts to the land of Canaan to see what there is to see.
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The Ways God Leads Us
Jun 14, 2008 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Beha'alotekha
Abraham Joshua Heschel writes eloquently that the supreme aspiration of religion is to inspire each one of us, in the words of the psalmist, “to lift up your eyes and see.”
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Finding Political Guidance in the Torah
Jun 7, 2008 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Naso
We Jews are up to our necks in political concern these days, in part because power and influence are ours to an unprecedented degree. How shall we think about these matters? Is there a Jewish approach to politics in general, and to these sorts of issues in particular?
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The Torah’s Lessons for Building Communities
May 31, 2008 By Charles Savenor | Commentary | Bemidbar
Bemidbar, the fourth book of the Torah, opens with a demographic and geographic description of the Children of Israel.
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The Torah’s Lessons for Society
May 25, 2008 By Edward Feld | Commentary | Behukkotai
The concluding parashah of Leviticus, Behukkotai, centers on God’s enumeration of both blessing and curse—the blessings that will follow upon observance of the commandments and the curses that will result from violation of the commandments.
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Our Partnership with God
May 16, 2008 By Lisa Gelber | Commentary | Behar
Almost a year after the twenty-fifth anniversary, with current showings on TV Land promising the version with enhanced visual effects, never-before-seen footage, and a digitally remastered soundtrack, as well as videos and DVDs for watching at home whenever you wish, E.T.: The Extraterrestrial is a part of the cinematic culture of many more people than just the moviegoers of the early 1980s.
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Our Influence on God
May 10, 2008 By David M. Ackerman | Commentary | Yom Hazikaron-Yom Ha'atzma'ut
At the geographic heart of Parashat Emor lies a seemingly innocuous statement: “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: These are My fixed times, the fixed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions (Leviticus 23:1–2).”
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A Jewish-Buddhist Understanding of Holiness
May 3, 2008 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Kedoshim
Leon Wieseltier, in a recent column in The New Republic about diversity at Harvard, commented about the church bells he heard growing up on Avenue O.
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The Four Children
Apr 19, 2008 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Aharei Mot | Pesah
We are told to probe the narrative of the redemption from Egypt for insights about what is blocking redemption in our own day and how we can work to bring ultimate redemption into being. The question facing us as we approach the seder, then, is this: What shall we tell our children and grandchildren at Passover—particularly the teenagers, college students, and twenty-somethings who are gathered at the seder table?
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Finding Holiness Through Boundaries
Apr 12, 2008 By David M. Ackerman | Commentary | Metzora
The Book of Vayikra concerns itself with a truly interesting collection of topics, among them animal sacrifice, priestly behavior, food, skin diseases, and blood.
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The Role of Religious Leaders
Mar 29, 2008 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Shemini
In an email newsletter distributed by the Martin Marty Center Institute for the Advanced Study of Religion at the University of Chicago, Martin E. Marty, a prominent voice of religion in America, recently commented on a new book about the role of preachers in politics.
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How Worship Might Shape Our Minds
Mar 22, 2008 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Tzav
Even after years of probing Leviticus for insight, and each year finding more significance in the book’s attempt to sanctify everyday experience, I found myself captured by Douglas’s description of the Levitical system of animal offerings as “philosophizing by sacrifice.” She writes: “Not only in ancient Israel, but in many parts of the world, philosophizing by sacrifice can be quite paradoxical and abstruse.”
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Between Prophets and Priests
Mar 15, 2008 By Edward Feld | Commentary | Vayikra
The relation with God is fraught with uncertainty and doubt.
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Between the Fire and the Cloud
Mar 2, 2008 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Pekudei | Shabbat Shekalim
As we conclude the book of Exodus and wander further into the wilderness, I cannot help but wonder how different the children of Israel’s lives would have been if they had been equipped with GPS.
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The Challenge of Finding Balance
Mar 1, 2008 By David M. Ackerman | Commentary | Vayak-hel
If intricate descriptions of construction details capture your imagination, then Va-yakhel is your parashah!
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Listening: The Cornerstone of Leadership
Feb 23, 2008 By Charles Savenor | Commentary | Ki Tissa
In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tissa, the Children of Israel stand at a crossroads between faith and fear, commitment and rebellion.
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Dressing to Lead
Feb 16, 2008 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Tetzavveh
Which candidate looks most presidential? Sadly, this question often determines our votes.
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