Category: Reflections on Random Torah Verses
I open the Torah, landing on a randomly selected page. At some point in reading that page, I find something that causes me to stop and reflect. I invite you to engage in conversation with me: telling me what the selected verse means to you, whether you find something meaningful that either coincides with what I wrote or is contrary to it. You don’t have to be Jewish!
Torah Ambivalence Toward Rape – Deuteronomy 21:10-14
The Torah seems to sanction rape as an unfortunate natural urge in the human male. Upon what do I base this horrid statement? Do contemporary rabbinic scholars make any attempt to help us get...
Passover: the 10th Plague & Protecting Our Kids
The story of Passover has many lessons in it – lessons for all times and all places and all contexts. I would like to share something I gleaned from my reading of Exodus 12:1-13,...
Psychotherapy Can Be a Religious Experience – Joel 2:12
What does the practice of psychotherapy have to do with faith in God? Metaphorically, a lot. Listen to this poetic entreat given by Joel: “Rend your heart and not your garments.” The image of...
Three Refuge Cities – Deuteronomy 4:41-49 – Part II
In last week’s blog, I discussed interpersonal aspects of having refuge cities to which unintentional perpetrators of manslaughter could run for protection. In this post I will reflect on the intrapersonal, inspired by a...
Three Refuge Cities – Deuteronomy 4:41-49 – Part I
Torah Judaism is not far from Judaism’s tribal roots and Deuteronomy 4:41-49 shows this up quite clearly. This verse talks about three refuge towns on the east side of the Jordan River, Bezer (for...
Enemies of the Jews – Parashat Va’ethannan: Deuteronomy 7:1-11
This passage, the last part of Parashat Va’ethannan, bothered me and I struggled with the implications of taking the words literally. These lines relate to how following the commandments (mitzvot in Hebrew) will ensure...
Kashrut From a Place Other Than Fear and Disgust – Leviticus 11:1-47
I grew up respecting the laws of kashrut, and have accepted an explanation that says that distinguishing between the animals Jews can eat and those that are forbidden differentiates the human being from the...
