by Sheilah Abramson-Miles As I read this week’s parashah, particularly Leviticus 18, my mind returned to an incident in my life long ago. I grew up in a traditional Jewish household attending a traditional synagogue where I was one of the first females in my congregation to attend our community Hebrew school. I made an appointment with my Rabbi to discuss becoming a Bat Mitzvah but I was not prepared for his answer (indeed, his explanation rather traumatized me). He told me that since I was a women and “unclean once a month,” I could not become a Bat Mitzvah and should never touch a Torah. I sadly accepted his dictate. I had no choice.

by Alexis Rothschild Parashat M’tzora (Restoring Ritual Purity) completes the laws of purity presented in the last week’s parashah. For many women, this portion presents some troubling issues of ritual purity, but upon close examination, one realizes that these laws may have helped women and children to live healthier lives at a time when disease spread rapidly, life expectancy was short, and infant mortality was commonplace.

by Sandy Adland Impurity, isolation, inequality, oh my! This week’s Torah portion, Tazria, addresses two areas: ritual impurity associated with the blood of childbirth, and the diagnosis of certain skin ailments and eruptions that would render a person to be ritually impure. In regard to these situations, the women in Tazria are portrayed in a negative light but WRJ must continue to affirm how important, beautiful, loved and appreciated our daughters and sisters in the Reform Jewish world are.

by Annice Benamy Parashat Sh'mini describes the laws of Kashrut (set of Jewish dietary laws) and ritual purity. This parashah specifically examines the role of women as it is the responsibility of the people, which is largely carried out by women, to observe these laws. In Leviticus 11:1-23, we are presented with a list of foods that we are and are not allowed to eat. The Torah permits the eating of animals with cloven hoofs that chew the cud, fish with fins and scales, and 24 types of fowl, but forbids the eating of creepy things, foods contaminated by contact with prohibited animals, carcasses, or decomposed foods. Ultimately, the key word in the parashah is k’dosh (holiness) as we are to eat animals that are pure and this is a diet for purity and holiness for our body and soul.

by Barbara Thomas Parashat Vayikra translates to “and God called” and begins with instructions on how to approach God with sacrificial offerings of animals. This method of approaching God is not part of modern religious practice, but the significance of animal sacrifice to an agricultural society is a guide to how important our sacrifices should be to us when we approach God so that we can gain strength and understanding as we are led to a more righteous place. WRJ makes significant sacrifices and leads us, as sisterhood members, to make significant sacrifices of money, time, and emotion; a modern equivalent of this animal sacrifice.

by Ellen Wagner This week’s torah portion involves the “Inventory of Donated Metals and Their Use” in the completion of the construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 38:21-40:38). Moses is given specific instructions from God, and the Israelites carry out the instructions faithfully. While women are not directly mentioned in the parashah, their role in the creation of the Tabernacle is paramount. While the men construct the Tabernacle, the women’s feminine touch provides its soul, just as WRJ does in the Reform Movement.

by Elaine Lust The chapters of Parashat Vayak’heil form a comprehensive narrative about the design, construction, and dedication of the Tabernacle, the Israelite’s portable sanctuary in the desert. Of particular interest are the descriptions of the women’s contributions. It is clear that the women in the community are among the skilled artisans and their expertise is acknowledged and valued.

by Vivian Blumstein This week’s portion, Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-34:35), has several major passages, each of which deals with the relationship between God and Israel and an issue that is pivotal for both them as well as our sisterhoods and WRJ–reconciliation.