Related Blog Posts on Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Ki Teitzei

August 28, 2015
by Marilyn Morrison Parashat Ki Teitzei ("When you go out") contains a significant portion of the Torah's laws: no less than 74 mitzvot (out of 613) have been counted as deriving from this parashah. Building the ideal Israelite society is an overriding concern of this passage. The civil, criminal, and family laws in Deuteronomy address relationships within households, among neighbors, and between the vulnerable in society and those more fortunate. While the laws in Shof’tim, the preceding parashah, address public officials, the laws in this parashah focus on what could be seen as private family matters. The prominence of laws concerning the lesser-loved wife, the punishment of wayward children, and the regulation of sexual behavior indicate that such seemingly private matters concern society as a whole. Public legislation governing these matters demonstrates the concern with building a balanced society in which all individuals are governed by the community and its laws.
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Shoftim

August 21, 2015
by Karen Maes Did you ever wonder where the word tzedakah comes from? We have heard it all through our religious school education (the famous “tzedakah box”) and in adulthood but what does it really mean? Typically most think of it as giving charitable donations (this is true to a certain extent) but in the Bible tzedakah means righteous behavior and is easily interchanged with justice. This week's parashah, Shoftim, deals with exactly that: justice. The parashah, from beginning to end, talks about justice and righteousness. The most memorable line for me is Deuteronomy 16:20, "Justice, justice shall you pursue.” As explained in our own The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, “The repetition of the word tzedek emphasizes that the pursuit of justice is vital to Isrealite society” (1144). The Commentary later explains, when discussing a contemporary reflection of this parashah, that this conclusion is “a procedure to ensure that people do ‘what is right in the sight of God’” (1160).
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: R'eih

August 14, 2015
"See (r'eih), this day I set before you blessing and curse" begins R'eih: a blessing for following God’s commandments and a curse for failing to do so. It goes on to detail a variety of commandments, including laws of kashrut; treatment of the stranger, the needy, the widow, the orphan, and the Levite; and how to observe Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Why start with “see?” The text could have simply read, “This day I set before you a blessing and a curse.” Why is that word “see” needed at all? It seems to function as an opening exclamation point, providing emphasis: sit up, take notice, and pay attention. In the South we might say “Listen up, y’all!”
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Eikev

August 7, 2015
In Parashat Eikev, Moses delivers three speeches to the people he has lead from slavery to freedom through the desert and who are now about to enter the Promised Land, the eretz zavat chalav u' d'vash (land of milk and honey) (Deuteronomy 11:9). Although their entry to this land will be fraught with battles and some losses, the eventual rewards, promised by God, will amply justify these initial terrifying encounters with the nations who worship idols and other gods. However, as Moses emphatically declares to the people, God’s rewards will only be fulfilled if they remember not only God’s gifts to them, but also their past misdemeanours. It is imperative that the people recall both God’s promises and their rebellious behaviours in order to maintain and fulfil God’s covenant.
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Va-et'chanan

July 31, 2015
by Julia Weinstein Have you ever heard of an “earworm”? What about the term “sticky music”? That song that stubbornly plays in your head and sticks in your brain is an earworm. Whatever you call it, that tune playing over and over again in your head is a universal and shared human experience. Researchers have studied and written about this phenomenon and Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain have mentioned it. There is even a TED-Ed on the topic. Sometimes earworms are so annoying that we need an antidote. Just check Google for a suggestion on a cure: how about chewing gum? Or humming “God Save the Queen”?
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: D'varim

July 24, 2015
D'varim is the first in the book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22, and is always read on Shabbat Chazon, the Shabbat directly before Tishah B'Av. In this parashah, Moses begins his farewell speech to the assembled Israelites, reviewing the events that occurred and the laws that were given in the course of their journey from Egypt to Sinai to the Promised Land. In it, he chastises the people for their failings, and instructs them to keep the Torah, observing its commandments in the land that God is giving them as their heritage, into which they will cross after his death.
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Matot-Mas'ei

July 17, 2015
by Lucretia Levy This week’s Torah portion is a double portion. In the first portion, Matot, the Tribes, Numbers 30:2−32:42, Moses explains to the Israelites the laws concerning vows made by men and women. Israel wages war against the Midianites. The laws regarding the spoils of war are outlined. Finally, the tribes of Reuben and Gad are granted permission to stay on the east bank of the Jordan River. In the second portion, Mas'ei, the Marches, Numbers 33:1-36:13, the itinerary of the Israelites through the wilderness from Egypt to Jordan is delineated. Moses tells Israel to remove the current inhabitants of the land that God will give them and to destroy their gods. The boundaries of the Land of Israel are defined, along with those of the Levitical cities and the cities of refuge. God makes a precise distinction between murder and manslaughter. Lastly, the laws of inheritance as they apply to Israelite women are delineated.
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Pinchas

July 10, 2015
by Liz McOsker Pinchas is a very interesting and eventful portion. For 40 years, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and now their journey is almost over. They can see the Promised Land from their camp near Jericho. They have heard reports about the challenges and opportunities facing them as they prepare to cross the river and move in. It is now time to plan to allocate the land, to ordain the successor to Moses, and to enumerate the sacrifices for various holy days. There is a story in this portion that I find fascinating and will discuss here.
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Balak

July 3, 2015
by Rachel Maryn This week’s parashah, Balak, includes something for everyone. There’s a frightened king, a hesitant sorcerer, a talking donkey, and if that’s not enough, there’s a curse thrown in just for good measure. In this portion, King Balak of Moab is worried that his nation will soon be taken over by the Israelites. To ensure this doesn’t happen, he retains the services of Balaam, a sorcerer, to come and curse the Jews. God tells Balaam that he shall not curse the people because they are blessed. This message from God makes Balaam hesitant about the king’s request. After much convincing (and a conversation with his donkey) Balaam comes to Moab and tries three separate times to curse the Israelites, but all that comes out of his mouth are praises. Needless to say, he fails and returns to his land. The end of the portion deals with a plague that is halted with the killing of a Midianite princess and the Jewish leader she is consorting with.
Voices of WRJ

Voices of WRJ: Chukat

June 26, 2015
by Debra Mayworm This week’s Torah portion, Chukat, from the book of Numbers, begins with ritual rules, including the “Red Cow” ritual and the laws of purification after contact with a human corpse. In the next chapter we learn of the death of Miriam. In the wilderness of Zin and on the first new moon, it states: “Miriam died there and was buried there.”
Voices of WRJ