Parsha

Parashat Re'eh: The choice to choose

Even those who observe Jewish tradition have areas of choice that they have already conquered, while their struggles lie elsewhere, each person according to their own level and circumstances.

A person is obligated to identify where their own 'point of choice' lies.
Every generation has its super powers.

On Shabbat Nachamu, Isaiah reminds us that human power is just an illusion

‘MESIRUT NEFESH’: Willingness to give up comfort, time, money, and personal interests for a greater value.

Parashat Hukat: A life of meaning

ARNOLD FROM Aukland, New Zealand.

Beyond the Headlines: A letter from New Zealand - opinion


Parashat Korah: The boundaries of holiness

This week, we read about the dispute of Korah, for whom the parasha is named. Korah and his companions challenged the religious and leadership hierarchy.

THE PUNISHMENT of Korah, a detail from the fresco ‘Punishment of the Rebels’ by Sandro Botticelli in the Sistine Chapel

Parashat Bamidbar: Four lessons for one's journey into Jewish adulthood

The Book of Numbers is not primarily one of danger and warning, but rather one of promise and preparation, albeit seasoned with a healthy dose of realism.

‘The Grapes of Canaan’ painted circa 1896-1902 by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, The Jewish Museum, New York.

Parashat Emor: Finding a place in time

The omer is a period of mourning but is also agriculturally significant.

A 1,000-year-old Hebrew Bible,was unveiled at the Museum of the Bible on November 8, 2019.

Parashat Emor: The counting of the Omer

From the festival of matzah to the festival of hametz

YEMENITE TORAH scrolls

Parshat Shmini: The honey and the sting

The deeper lesson of the Torah’s teaching is not that one must have tragedy at the very moment of triumph, but that everything contains its opposite.

A BOY prepares to eat an apple with honey, as is traditional on Rosh Hashanah.

Parshat Shmini: Purity of the soul, restraint and humility

Kashrut is a significant part of Jewish identity. The basic principle of kashrut is that what a person puts into his body affects not only his physical health but the purity of his soul as well.

OU kashrut supervisor at work in a food manufacturing company

Parashat Vayikra: New understandings of ancient practices

With this particular book of the Bible, its focus on the sacrificial system becomes a stumbling block for many trying to derive meaning from its text.

 ‘And he shall cut it into its pieces; and the priest shall lay them, with its head and its suet, in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar’ (Leviticus 1:12). Vayikra, Leviticus 1:1-5:26, is read on March 20.

Hand, mouth or mind

There are ways to convey God's blessing even without touching.


Parashat Vayikra: ‘But I didn’t mean it!’

Four reasons, two medieval and two modern, that will help us understand something deep about the Torah and our tradition.

A 1,000-year-old Hebrew Bible,was unveiled at the Museum of the Bible on November 8, 2019.

Parashat Vayikra: Standing before God

By offering a sacrifice, a person expresses the maximum nullification he can feel: giving life to God.

YEMENITE TORAH scrolls