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This week’s parsha, Behaalotecha, contains the laws of lighting the menorah – the seven-branched candelabra - in the Temple. One of the interesting features of the menorah is the commandment to arrange the wicks in such a way as to have all the lights facing inward, towards the menorah’s central stem.
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This week’s parsha, Naso, contains the commandment to the Cohanim – the priests – to bless the Jewish people. The text of the priestly blessing is well known – “May the Lord bless and protect you. May the Lord shine his countenance upon you and show you grace. May the Lord raise His countenance to you and give you peace.”
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It is the custom among Jewish communities around the world to read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot. Perhaps the most obvious reason is the fact that the central, dramatic action of the book – Ruth meeting and marrying Boaz – takes place during the period of the grain harvest, which is the season in which Shavuot takes place, and the agricultural event which the holiday marks.
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In many societies, there has been, over the past few decades, a move away from a sense of communal identity and responsibility towards a more individualistic way of looking at things. Here in Israel, many studies have noted the shift from the use of the plural pronouns – “us”, “our” – towards the use of “me” and “my” in the public arena, both verbally and in print.
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During the Obama presidency, the argument about the relative merits of capitalism and socialism has come to the fore, with Obama being accused by many on the right of being a socialist or communist, and wanting to - gasp! - “share the wealth”, while people on the left are attacking the excesses, inequities, and failures of contemporary capitalism. The question as to what is the Torah’s position on the issue – is Judaism capitalist? Socialist? Something else? - is once again being discussed widely.
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The ongoing kerfuffle (and for some reason that’s not a Yiddish word; it so should be!) surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions, America’s response, and Bibi’s intervention in Congress, is certainly troubling. I have been unhappy with Bibi’s behavior throughout. Right or wrong – and he seems to be right – could he not figure out a way to get the message across without antagonizing the White House and its supporters? Isn’t that exactly what getting the message across means: actually getting the right people to agree with you, and not just pointing out that they are wrong?
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In this week’s parsha, Tzav, we are told the details of the rituals connected with the final days of preparation for the opening of the Tabernacle in the desert. There are details about sacrifices, and the rituals which sanctify the Tabernacle itself, its vessels, as well as the priests – Aharon and his sons – for the work they will do in this portable Temple.
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Megillat Esther begins with a look at the court of King Ahashverosh. He throws two parties, a very long one for the aristocracy, and a shorter one for the people, celebrating his ascension to the throne. At the second party, he calls for his Queen, Vashti, to come and show the revelers her beauty. She refuses; quite sensibly, one would imagine. Ahashverosh asks his advisers for advice, and they come up with an interesting understanding of what has happened.
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I'm confused. Here in Israel we have elections coming up in a few weeks, and I’ll be damned if there’s a party on the ballot I feel good voting for. ISIS is going crazy in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Libya; Syria itself is a bloody mess; radical Muslims are killing Jews and non-Jews at a fairly rapid clip in Europe, and I can’t for the life of me figure out how the west should respond to all of this.
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My grandson, Tzur, is approaching his second birthday. For the past few months, he has been using the word שלי – mine – an awful lot.
