For Jews the world over, weekly sections of the Five Books of Torah coupled with a matching extract of Prophets are read in synagogues on Shabbat, a tradition that has roots in the oldest Jewish communities. Across the course of a year, beginning at Simchat Torah, this enables all Jews to hear and learn the whole Torah together, in manageable weekly pieces, one section at a time. Five Books helps you to hear the parashat in full every week, coupled with a thought-provoking meditation on one of its messages, known as a D'var Torah.
The twenty-sixth portion of Torah is a forward looking and remarkably insightful piece of text, a set of instructions that echoes modern best practice in terms of managing infectious diseases and securing the wellbeing of the community. In an era when medicine was non-existent, and most cultures practices cult rituals to deal with outbreaks of disease, the early Israelites recieved word from G-d that gave them a unique insight and capacity to secure the general health of the nation. In the last few years we have all lived through Covid, and the measures outlined in this parashah will sound very familiar. It's yet another example of how Torah, in its many forms, remains so vital and relevant today.
7 Apr 2023
Five Books: Parashat Shmini
The Twenty-fifth porthion of Torah tells three separate, but probably related stories. Aaron and his sons are ordained as priests for the Tabernacle, and G-d appears to bring holiness to the occasion. Then, two of Aaron's sons, with good intention but bad execution, bring an offering of incence that G-d did not instruct, and they are swept away by Divine fire. Finally, G-d gives instructions to the Israelite people about which animals they may eat, and which ones must be avoided at all costs. All three are powerful but strange narratives, giving voice to some of G-d's more insistent themes, yet leaving no small measure of confusion in its wake. There is, it seems, no substitute for faith.
1 Apr 2023
Five Books: Parashat Tzav
The twenty-fourth portion of Torah takes us on a a journey into ritual and custom. These are very different things, even when they are framed as being one and the same. The Parasha begins with a description of how the priests (Aaron and his family) should approach the sacrifices brought to the MIshkan, and also lays out rules for what portion should be set aside for their upkeep. But then, in an odd turn of events, G-d decrees that fat, blood and certain organs were henceforth to be rejected as a source of food. No real explanation is given, except to say that some things belong to the Divine, and others are, well, just do it...... This is the beginning of a series of mitzvot in Leviticus that will shape Jewish identity and culture through millenia, even shaping us now. For this reason, even if no other, Parashat Tzav is core to our Jewish learning and our understanding of ourselves.
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