And He called to Moshe

(Leviticus 1:1)

Nisan 4, 5777/March 31, 2017

"Vayikra el Moshe - And He called to Moses" - this is how the book of Leviticus opens. Who called to Moshe, and where? This we learn as the verse continues, "and HaShem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying... " Twice before G-d prefaced His words to Moshe with a call for his attention. Once was at the burning bush, and once was after Israel had encamped at Sinai. Wanting to inform Moshe as to what was about to occur, G-d called him and invited him to ascend the Mount so that he could coordinate with Moshe what would happen next. Each of these three "vayikra" moments preceded what would be life-changing paradigm shifts for Israel and for the world at large. Each time G-d first consulted, one-to-one, with Moshe.

Salt of the Covenant

Every Friday night at the Sabbath table, we salt the Sabbath bread as a remembrance of the Temple's ritual of salting the sacrifices. What does the salt symbolize?

THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:

Vayikra (ויקרא | And he called)

Torah: Leviticus 1:1-5:26

Haftarah: Isaiah 43:21-44:23

Gospel: Mark 7:1-30

The cloud of HaShem was upon the Mishkan

(Exodus 40:38)

Adar 26, 5777/March 24, 2017

With the reading of the double Torah portion of Vayak'hel-Pekudei this Shabbat, we bring the book of Exodus to a close. But the conclusion of the book of Exodus doesn't simply mark yet another chapter in the annals of man's relationship with G-d. It marks a whole new beginning. Or more precisely, it marks a whole new end of the beginning, a whole new end of "In the beginning... "

The 'Church' at Mount Sinai

We often see pictures of Jesus in church, but in reality, Jesus himself never set foot in a church. He attended synagogue services, and He assembled along with all Israel at the Temple, but He did not go to church because there was no such thing.

THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:

Vayakhel-Pekudei (ויקהל/פקודי | He gathered/Countings)

Torah: Exodus 35:1-40:38

Haftarah: 1 Kings 7:40-50 *

Gospel: Mark 6:14-29/John 6:1-71

* Special readings for Shabbat HaChodesh are applicable this Shabbat.

Shabbat HaChodesh (החדש | The Month)

* Maftir: Exodus 12:1-20

* Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16-46:18

The Man Moshe

(Exodus 32:1)

Adar 19, 5777/March 17, 2017

The children of Israel were right to be concerned when "the man Moshe" (Exodus 32:1) appeared to be lingering more than anticipated on Mount Sinai. The man who had stood up to Pharaoh, led Israel out of Egypt, shepherded them across the Sea of Reeds, brought them to Mount Sinai where they experienced a direct confrontation with G-d, and lived to tell the tale, was now gone. Thirty nine days earlier he stepped into the fire and smoke at the top of Mount Sinai and never reemerged.

People are not Numbers

If we want to see the world with God’s eyes, we need to learn to see people as individuals. Each one is precious; each one possesses a unique soul of inestimable value.

THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:

Ki Tisa (כי תשא | When you take)

Torah: Exodus 30:11-34:35

Haftarah: 1 Kings 18:1-39

Gospel: Matthew 9:35-11:1

* Special readings for Shabbat Parah are applicable this Shabbat.

Shabbat Parah (פרה | Cow)

* Maftir: Numbers 19:1-19:22

* Haftarah: Ezekiel 36:16-36:38

Bring near to yourself your brother Aharon

(Exodus 28:1)

Adar 12, 5777/March 10, 2017

"And you bring near to yourself your brother Aharon, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel to serve Me [as kohanim]: Aharon, Nadav, and Avihu, Eleazar, and Itamar, Aharon's sons. You shall make holy garments for your brother Aharon, for honor and glory." (Exodus 28:1-2)

We all know that the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) fulfills the most central and important task in the Holy Temple, the place where G-d has chosen to rest His presence among His children here on earth. But the ability of the Kohen Gadol to successfully perform his role before G-d depends entirely upon the two prerequsites listed above: We must first bring near to us and embrace the Kohen Gadol as our brother, and then we must make and cloth him in "holy garments... for honor and glory." (ibid)

God's Choice and What it Means to be Chosen

Jerusalem  (Photo by Reinhardt Konig)

 

 

"For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession."  (Deuteronomy 7:6)

 

The Jewish People are often called the Chosen People, a term that has caused many to accuse God of favoritism and the Jews of being smug elitists who think that God prefers them over all other nations and peoples.

 

“Chosenness” is so strongly associated with favoritism and arrogance that even some Jewish people reject this term.  Yet, the idea of God choosing Israel runs throughout Scripture.  Here are a few verses:

 

"But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend.”  (Isaiah 41:8)

 

“You His servants, the descendants of Israel, His chosen ones, the children of Jacob.”  (1 Chronicles 16:13; see also Psalm 105:6)

 

“For the LORD has chosen Jacob to Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure.”  (Psalm 135:4)

 

Garments for Honor

People say, "It's not the outside that matters; only the heart matters." In reality, the outside often reveals a lot about what is going on in the inside.

THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:

Tetzaveh (תצוה | You shall command)

Torah: Exodus 27:20-30:10

Haftarah: Ezekiel 43:10-27

Gospel: Mark 4:35-5:43

* Special readings for Shabbat Zachor are applicable this Shabbat.

Shabbat Zachor (זכור | Remember)

* Maftir: Deuteronomy 25:17-19

* Haftarah: 1 Samuel 15:1-34

They shall build for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them

(Exodus 25:8)

Adar 5, 5777March 3, 2017

You and I weren't there when G-d created the world. But Torah teaches us that G-d created the world in six days and on the seventh day, having completed His work, G-d blessed and sanctified His creation. And so it was for some two thousand years: G-d in His heaven and man on the earth that G-d created for him. But when G-d invites Moshe into the fiery mountaintop of Sinai, He makes to Moshe a new proposal: "They shall build for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them." (Exodus 25:8)

The Little Sanctuary

It was not a matter of feelings of spiritual intensity; it was a matter of fact. God lived in that place. It was like having God as a next-door neighbor.

THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:

Terumah (תרומה | Heave offering)

Torah: Exodus 25:1-27:19

Haftarah: 1 Kings 5:26-6:13

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-53

Sapphire brick and the appearance of the heavens for clarity

(Exodus 24:10)

Shevat 28, 5777/February 24, 2017

"and they perceived the G-d of Israel, and beneath His feet was like the forming of a sapphire brick and like the appearance of the heavens for clarity." (Exodus 24:10)

We tend to equate the revelation at Mount Sinai with the giving of the Ten Commandments. But, in fact, the Ten Commandments were merely G-d's opening salvo of a searingly intense transmission of Torah commandments and spiritual experiences that He directed at Israel on that day. "Searingly," because the Sinai experience forever seared the Torah, in its entirety, upon the hearts and souls of Israel, throughout all her generations. "Intense," because these were not easy commandments to assimilate into the lifestyle of the new-born nation, but required study and far reaching insight in order to transform them into the pillars and basis of our 'everyday' lives. And again "intense," because of the power of G-d's revelation of His Being, first to the entire nation at Sinai, and later, to a smaller 'elite' group which included "Moshe and Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel." (ibid 24:9)