Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 30, 2012 by Barer
This week’s parsha continues to detail the different sacrifices, this time focusing on who can and cannot eat them. The second half of the parsha (ch. 8) moves from commandment to narrative (or sorts) as the text describes the actual anointing of Aharon and his sons as active priests. While the text is repetitive and Continue Reading »
Posted on March 23, 2012 by Barer
In this week’s podcast, Alex Israel talks about why chametz (leavened bread) is not allowed to be part of Israelite sacrifices. Vayikra 5772
Posted on March 23, 2012 by Barer
It is always hard exegetically to transition from Bereishit and Shmot to Vayikra (from Genesis and Exodus to Leviticus). However tough it might be to draw a message from repeated details about building the Mishkan (Tabernacle), it is nothing compared to the density of chapter after chapter detailing how much blood – from non-human animals Continue Reading »
Posted on March 19, 2012 by Barer
In last week’s podcast, Michael Hattin discusses the kiyyor, the washbasin, that was in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) Vayakhel-Pekudei 5772
Posted on March 19, 2012 by Barer
This week’s parsha details – again – the various vessels that were built for the Mishkan (Tablernacle). While the question of why such repetition is in the Torah is a good one, I want to focus instead on the short narrative section of the parsha. After repeating a few of the central laws to the people, Continue Reading »
Posted on March 9, 2012 by Barer
In this week’s parsha, DLK discusses the “cry of [your] beloved people” Ki Tisa 5772
Posted on March 9, 2012 by Barer
In reading this week’s parsha, which describes the events surrounding the sin of the Golden Calf, one question continued to nag at me. Why does Moshe break the tablets upon seeing the Israelites worshiping the Golden Calf? The answer many of us grew up with is that Moshe came upon the scene and was so Continue Reading »
Posted on March 2, 2012 by Barer
On this week’s podcast, Michael Hattin discusses the intricacies of the headband, or tzitz, worn by the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) Tetzaveh 5772
Posted on March 2, 2012 by Barer
This week’s parsha deals exclusively with the intricacies involved in creating the garments to be worn by the priests, specifically the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. Most of the traditional commentators are nearly silent for much of the parsha, which is not extremely surprising, as many of them saw their aim as being elucidating the Continue Reading »
Posted on February 24, 2012 by Barer
In this week’s podcast, James talks about the Sfat Emet’s commentary on the parsha. Terumah 5772 Shabbat Shalom!
