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Category Archives: Parshat Hashavua
The Fall and Rise of Levi, Once and Future Priest
We discussed in a recent post (link) the motif throughout Bereishit of bechira over bechora – that in almost every instance, the firstborn is passed over in deference to a favored younger sibling. As Leah’s oldest two children, Reuven and Shimon should rightfully have received the priesthood and … Continue reading
Posted in Parshat Hashavua
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Caste and Privilege: Bechora and Bechira in Sefer Bereishit
Watching the drama unfold when Yaakov blesses Yosef’s sons in Parshat Vayechi (see Bereishit 48:13-22), two questions emerge: Why does Yaakov elect to bless Yosef’s sons (or Yosef himself, if you prefer) before blessing his older sons? And why does Yaakov switch … Continue reading
Posted in Parshat Hashavua
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Pharaoh’s Man Problem and the Birth of Jewish Exceptionalism
Did Pharaoh have a problem with men? Or did he have a larger agenda in ordering the boys to be killed? Exploring two parallel stories – the first near the beginning of Parshat Lech Lecha, the second spanning the end … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Parshat Hashavua, Pesach
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Parshat Pinchas: Advocacy and Partnership in Zealotry
This past week we read one of rarest of all Haftarot (thanks to Shlomo for this link), one that has not been read since 2005 and will not be read again until 2035. What makes the Haftarah so rare is … Continue reading
Posted in Communal Matters, Parshat Hashavua
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United We Fall, Divided We Stand: The Complicated Legacy of Aharon
Who was Aharon? Certainly, if one were to write a biography of our first Kohen Gadol, this week’s Parsha of Ki Tisa would play a prominent role. Yet Aharon’s role in the story of the Chet Ha’egel (Golden Calf) is … Continue reading
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The Jew-Brew, Part 2 – Yitzchak’s Prayer: Human Intimacy as Metaphor for Divine Connection
Previously we have explored the role of faith in the creation of the Jewish People. What other ingredients needed to be discovered and added to the embryo that would eventually develop into our Nation? Let’s proceed further into Parshat Toldot: … Continue reading
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Parshat Shoftim: The Punishment of Not Being Punished
Parshat Shoftim includes a dire warning for those idol-worshiping nations with whom the Jews are unable to establish a peace treaty: דברים פרק כ (יג) … וּנְתָנָהּ ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ וְהִכִּיתָ אֶת כָּל זְכוּרָהּ לְפִי חָרֶב: (יד) רַק הַנָּשִׁים וְהַטַּף … Continue reading
Posted in Parshat Hashavua, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur
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Under the Altar and Dreaming: Sustaining עקידה in a World of Choice
I have been swamped with work lately and unable to post, leaving me with a backlog of ideas for later. Meanwhile, I was thinking over Shabbat about an essay I wrote about ten years ago when I was taking an … Continue reading
Posted in Parshat Hashavua
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Shavuot: Under the Mountain and Dreaming
For Shavuot, I am posting something I wrote many years ago, apparently just before Shavuot 2003, and shared by email at that time to some family and friends. I was finishing my first year of YU at the time. Shavuos: Standing … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Parshat Hashavua, Shavuot
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Classroom Declassified 