Debtors to God
Feb 18, 2012 By Charlie Schwartz | Commentary | Text Study | Mishpatim
This week’s midrash provides a striking metaphor for the nature of our existence in the world. Like the destitute person who has given his only garment as collateral on a loan, we are often destitute in our moral stature. We make mistakes, error, and sin. According to the midrash, every evening God takes our souls as we sleep as collateral for the spiritual debts we owe. And every morning, in spite of our failings, our souls are returned to us.
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Of Willing Heart
Feb 25, 2012 By David Levy | Commentary | Text Study | Terumah
God seems not to be seeking out the work alone, but more the voluntary offering. I find this to be incredibly encouraging.
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Remembering to Forget
Mar 3, 2012 By Andrew Shugerman | Commentary | Text Study | Shabbat Zakhor
How does one recall something that we are ultimately supposed to forget? That is one of the great paradoxes found in the Torah reading for Shabbat Zakhor and later reflected in a rabbinic tradition that stems from the midrash above.
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The Voice From the Burning Bush
Mar 10, 2012 By Abigail Treu | Commentary | Text Study | Ki Tissa
Moses heard God’s voice as his own; each of us hears God’s voice as our own, hearing what we need to hear from the thunderous words of revelation that are each of ours and yet so difficult to discern.
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Consumption with Humility
Mar 17, 2012 By Charlie Schwartz | Commentary | Text Study | Pekudei | Vayak-hel
“You are what you eat,” as the old adage goes—but according to this midrash, you are also what you build, or more precisely, you are how you build.
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Sacrifices Seen Through Love and Law
Mar 31, 2012 By David Levy | Commentary | Text Study | Pesah
Every year, the weeks during which the Torah portions of Leviticus are read, many Jews complain about the challenge of finding interest or meaning in such esoteric material. I, myself, also struggle to engage deeply with these texts when I forget that even our ancient Sages felt the need to bolster the relevance of these laws, which largely became defunct after the Second Temple was destroyed.
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Swallowed in the Ground
Apr 7, 2012 By Abigail Treu | Commentary | Text Study | Pesah
Swallowed in the ground,
Saved from forces stronger than ourselves,
Hooves over our heads.
A miracle occurred.
Freedom As Process
Apr 14, 2012 By Charlie Schwartz | Commentary | Text Study | Pesah
The last days of Passover take on a relaxed feel for me. With the cleaning done, the four cups of wine, Hillel sandwiches, and bitter herbs a distant memory, I tend to focus on the remaining festival days and the visions of fully leavened bread that are inclined to pop into my head. The midrash above, based on the Torah reading for the seventh day of Passover, creates a sharp contrast to this feeling of relaxation and matzah saturation.
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