By Joy Scott, Am Haskalah Congregant The final parsha in the book of Leviticus, Bechukotai, begins with stunning clarity of the terms of Jewish life under the covenant. In the first part, there is an idyllic picture of the blessing of Divine favor. If the Israelites follow God’s decrees and keep His commandments, there […]
Posts with the leviticus tag
A ‘Bissel’ of Torah: BEHAR (LEVITICUS 25:1-26:2)
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]