By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah, Congregant This week’s Torah Parsha (EMOR) begins with God saying to Moses: “Speak to the Kohanim; and, say that none of them can become defiled; impure; or, ceremonially unclean; by touching a dead person, unless the one who died is a wife, or a blood relative”(1). The requisite for purity […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant The second Parsha for this week (KEDOSHIM) begins with the momentous call: “You shall be holy because I, the Lord, your God am holy” (1). This statement is followed by repetition of dozens of ‘Divine’ commandments, which would enable the Israelites to consecrate their holy relationship with God. This […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week, we read two Parshiot, (ACHAREI MOT), followed by Parsha( KEDOSHIM). The primary focus of the first Parsha pertains to the ancient rituals of Yom Kippur, the ‘Day of Atonement’. During the period of MISHNAH (i.e. the first major redaction of the Oral Torah) in the second century, […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week, we read a double Parshiot (TAZRIA), followed by Parsha (METZORA). Each of these Parshiot describe in punctilious detail, the bewildering phenomenon of ‘TZARAAT’. In effect, this is a physical manifestation of a spiritual malaise, frequently mistranslated as ‘leprosy’. An individual afflicted with ‘TZARAAT’, would be referred to […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant The primary theme of last week’s Torah Parsha (VAKIRA) pertained to the five diverse sacrifices, which the Israelites presented at the Sanctuary. On the surface, this week’s Torah Parsha (TZAV) appears to be merely an extension of Parsha (VAKIRA), differentiated solely by the focus shifting to the kohanim, who […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant   This week’s Torah Parsha (VAYIKRA) is the first Parsha in the book of LEVITICUS, a section of the Torah, which most rabbinical students ‘love to hate’. We just completed reading the thrilling and dramatic story of the book of EXODUS, which captivated our imagination like an award winning […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week, we read two Parshiot (VAYKHEL), followed by Parsha (PEKUDEI). Each of these Parshiot are replete with contradictions and multiple interpretations. The first enigma is the question of why they exist at all. In the Torah Parsha, (TERUMAH) and in Torah Parsha (TETZAVEH), we read descriptions of every […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant (PEKUDEI), the second Parsha for this week, is the last chapter in the Book of Exodus. For the fourth time, Parsha (TETZAVEH, TERUMAH, VAYAKHEL), we again read a tedious repetition of the inventory of all the equipment used in the building and decorating of the Sanctuary: “These are the […]

By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah This week’s Torah Parsha (KI TISA) begins on Mount Sinai, where God is relating to Moses some rather benign instructions, pertaining to final particulars, for completion of the Holy Sanctuary. It is expected that Moses will remain at the top of the mountain for another forty days. Here, he will […]