These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Archive: May 2011

על ויקרא, on vayikra

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

i was scared to begin the book of vayikra.  for that matter, others were scared for me.  sefer vayikra, which primarily deals with laws surrounding ritual purity, sacrificial offerings, as well as other priestly business, is often written-off as that dry middle section of the Torah necessary to skim through in order to get back on Continue Reading »

בחקתי, behukkotai

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

in parshat behukkotai, God makes us an offer we can’t forget.  on one hand, if we follow all of His Laws and observe all of His commandments, all will be right in the world.  abounding peace, a land free of enemies, produce to our hearts’ content.  however, if we spurn Him, if we disobey His Continue Reading »

בהר, behar

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

Some of us grew up in childhood homes, to whose rooms we can still return.   family photos still adorn the staircase.  glass jars still line the counter.  crayon is still scrawled on the walls marking our growth through our youth.  yet, for many of us, that idealic home is long since gone.  we have moved.  Continue Reading »

אמר, emor

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

in parshat emor, God instructs moshe regarding all the rules and regulations that distinguish the life of a cohen from that of an ordinary bnei israel.  and these rules are not to be taken lightly.  the cohen gadol (high priest), in order to maintain his ritual purity, is unable to be around the deceased bodies Continue Reading »

קדשים, kedoshim

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

in parshat kedoshim, God opens by instructing us we’ve got to be holy because we’ve got a holy God.  and in case you weren’t sure how one goes about behaving in a holy manner, we’re presented with a pretty length lists of do’s and don’ts.  do honor your mother and father.  don’t commit adultery.   do Continue Reading »

אחרי מות, achrei mot

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

i would’ve wanted more.  two parshiot later after the death of aharon’s sons, parshat achrei mot, picks up at the moment following their deaths.  back in parshat shimini, where we actually learn of the boys’ all-too-close encounter with foreign fire, God speaks directly to aharon in a rare moment of personal revelation. okay, at least Continue Reading »

מצרע, metsora

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

in this week’s parshat metsora, we continue to delve in-depth into the procedure of ridding a leprous person of his eruptive affections.  after reading pages and pages of how to determine whether a person is unclean and therefore off-limits to society, i was bewildered when i arrived to the conundrum of how to detect a Continue Reading »

תזריע, tazria

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

this week’s parsha, parshat תזריע, focuses on the nitty gritty details of how the cohen diagnoses someone as unclean, either as result of some scaly infection, inflammation, or good ol’ leprosy.  after analyzing the tell-tale signs on the skin, more than not, the confirmed or even suspected leprous person is sent out of the camp Continue Reading »

שמיני, shemini

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

following the priestly induction ceremony, the cohanim are required to camp out in the tent of meeting for seven full days.  they are warned to remain inside day and night, lest they come out and die.  what an incredibly high-pressure, terrifying way to start a new job.  this week’s parsha shmini marks the eight day Continue Reading »

צו, tsav

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

in this week’s parsha צו (tsav), moshe, following God’s instructions, performs the ritual sacrifices and ceremony necessary to induct aharon and his sons into the priesthood.  the Torah uses the same word להקריב both meaning “to induct” when referring to the cohanim (priests) as well “to offer” when referring to the animal sacrifices. strikingly, this Continue Reading »