Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on July 7, 2011 by Barer
[Cross-posted from my blog] This week’s parsha documents the continuation of the Israelites interactions with the nations surrounding Cana’an, this time focusing almost entirely with the kingdom of Moav. Specifically, the king of Moav, Balaq, fears the Israelites and hires a local sorcerer, Bil’am, to curse them. However, Bil’am is constantly thwarted from doing so, Continue Reading »
Posted on July 7, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
this week’s parsha strangely focus on the story of one non-israelite, balaam the diviner, and his journey of how he came to know and understand God. okay, let’s back up a little bit. there’s a bad guy in this story, balak, head of the amorites, who summons our diviner-friend balaam to curse the jewish Continue Reading »
Posted on July 4, 2011 by Barer
[Re-posted from here…a few days late, I know] In this week’s parsha, one of the most famous of all of the happenings of the Israelites’ forty years in the desert occurs when Moshe hits the rock to produce water. In the absence of his sister Miriam, who has just died, the source of water – Continue Reading »
Posted on June 30, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
this parsha is one that sits heavy with death. for one thing, early on, we get the description of what to do when one comes in contact with a dead body. and then, as if the Torah was simply giving us the procedure in order to prepare us for what’s to come, we learn of Continue Reading »
Posted on June 24, 2011 by Barer
[Cross-posted from my blog, where you can find a parsha haiku every week] Reading this week’s parsha with Rashi brought up an interesting point for me, one to do with how the early commentators read the text more than with the topic of this week’s parsha specifically (the haiku reflects the theme of the parsha). Continue Reading »
Posted on June 21, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
in this week’s parsha, there is a fair amount of death. entire families are swallowed up by the earth. a raging fire consumes two hundred and fifty men. an infectious plague spreads wildly and kills fourteen thousand and seven hundred people. this is the price for challenging authority. these deaths are all in retaliation for Continue Reading »
Posted on June 17, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
once again the israelites take to complaining, railing against God, moshe, and anyone else who will listen regarding their miserable fate in the desert. last week, it was bitter cries about the camp food, longing for the nostalgized days of the meat and fish galore in egypt. this week, it’s fears that the people will Continue Reading »
Posted on June 8, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
this week, God instructs moshe to put into place a sound system in order to summon the community and gather the troops. with two different trumpets at their disposal, God establishes a morse code used for relaying information. two trumpets/long blast: everyone gather around. one trumpet/long blast: just the chiefs. one set of short blasts: Continue Reading »
Posted on June 3, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
well, the good news is, she survived the ritual ordeal of the housewife gone astray. the bad news is, well, where do we go from here? parshat naso describes in detail the disturbing process of how a husband, suspecting his wife of infelidity or overcome by jealousy may bring his wife to trial. and, this Continue Reading »
Posted on May 29, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
i’m a bit embarrassed to say i’ve noticed an unsettling theme in my dvrei torah. i’m drawn to the characters and the storylines in which the israelities, moshe, aharon, whomever, is called upon to do the work of God and it just seems like its too much for them. it’s too scary, too dangerous, or Continue Reading »
