By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah, Congregant This week, we read parsha Behar, the penultimate portion of Leviticus. The primary themes of Behar are laws and commandments pertaining to freedom, equality and charity with ‘dignity’. The Lord spoke to Moses and said: “Tell the Children of Israel, you may sow your field for six years, […]
Author: AHWebMaint
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: EMOR (LEVITICUS 21:1-24:3)
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 […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: KEDOSHIM (LEVITICUS 19:1-20:27)
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week’s Torah parsha, 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 parsha is […]
Jane’s Kitchen: Chilled Thai Melon Soup
2 cups seedless watermelon, diced 2 cups cantaloupe, diced 2 cups crenshaw or honeydew, diced 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce 1 tablespoon sweet chile sauce 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh thai basil, chopped 3 tablespoons fresh mint, minced 1 […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: ACHAREI MOT (LEVITICUS 16:1-18:30)
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant This week, we read Acharei Mot, which has the primary focus of the ancient rituals of Yom Kippur, the ‘Day of Atonement’. During the period of the Mishnah (i.e. the first major redaction of the Oral Torah) in the second century, the Jewish calendar was altered so that […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: METZORA (LEVITICUS 14:1-15:33)
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant Last week, we read parsha Tazria, which introduced us to the bizarre malady of ‘Tzara’at.’ In effect, this was considered physical evidence of a spiritual failing, disclosed in a myriad of dermatological disorders. The mystery shrouding parsha Tazria was the absence of any specific transgression, or identification of […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: TAZRIA (LEVITICUS 12:1-13:59)
By Joy Scott Am Haskalah Congregant This week’s Torah parsha, Tazria, is extraordinary not for its content, but for its absence of content. Tazria has been labeled “the Torah parsha least likely to be studied”(1). It has also been accused of having “challenged and confused generations of Torah scholars, as well as legions of rabbinical […]
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: SHEMINI (LEVITICUS 9:1-11:47)
By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant For several weeks and many chapters – the longest prelude in the Torah – we have read of the preparations for the moment at which God would bring His Presence to rest amid the people. Five Torah parshiot (Teruma, Tetzaveh, Ki Tisa, Vayakhel, and Pekudi) all describe the […]
Jane’s Kitchen: Solar Eclipse Quesadillas
8 12-inch tortillas 1 16-ounce can refried beans (Rosarita) 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix 12 ounces Mexican cheese blend, shredded Salsa and sour cream to serve Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mash beans with taco seasoning. Build quesadillas by covering two-thirds of a tortilla with cheese and spreading the bean mixture in the […]
Jane’s Kitchen: Sweet Potato Sunshine Salad
By Laura Wright, The First Mess 1 1/2 pounds mini sweet potatoes 2 medium carrots, peeled + small diced (I used some heirloom purple ones for color contrast) 2 orange or yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced into 3/4 inch-ish pieces 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes any color, cut in half 1/2 small red onion, […]