purity

“P’roo ur’voo,--Jewish Attitudes Toward Procreation”
(updated and revised from Bereshith-Simchat Torah 5765-2004) 

As we once again begin the Book of Genesis, we learn about the central mitzvah of procreation, "p’roo ur’voo," (Genesis 1:28). Judaism diverges from much of Christianity in its forthright and positive attitude towards sexuality. Not only is bearing children a mitzvah in Judaism, but even pleasure in sexuality is a mitzvah. Furthermore, even those who are not blessed with children can bear spiritual fruit, by becoming teachers of Torah or by supporting the study of Torah.

“Some Important Lessons to Learn from the Ancient Biblical Malady, Tzara’at”
(updated and revised from Tazria 5765-2005

The laws of the Biblical disease, Tzara’at, are complex, and on the surface, seem rather primitive. By examining the nuances of the text in parashat Tazria we may learn many profound lessons about judging others favorably, healing ourselves and coming closer to G-d.

“’Naked’ Means More than Naked”
(updated and revised from Bereshith 5765-2004)

One of the most joyous days of the Jewish calendar, Simchat Torah, as it is celebrated today, is a relatively new holiday that became popular in the Middle Ages, around the 14th century. The customs and rituals of this holiday have interesting origins, and, in fact, seem to still be evolving and developing in contemporary times.

“Clothes: A Reflection of the Divine Image”
(Revised and updated from Tetzaveh 5760-2000)

Clothes play an important role in Judaism and in Jewish tradition. After all, the Al-mighty was the “First Designer” of clothes for Adam and Eve. The clothes that the priests wore, not only invested them with sanctity, but also represented the values that the priests were trying to communicate to the people.

“The Cherubs”

The word “Cherub” appears only twice in the Torah. In one instance they are referred to as “angels of destruction,” in another they are described as “angelic faces of children.” How can these contrasting descriptions be reconciled?

"G-d's Gift of a Second Chance"

G-d instructed Moses to command the People of Israel to purify the camp by expelling those Israelites who were impure. The Midrash maintains that those expelled were rebellious and ungrateful people who had been previously healed by G-d, and rejected G-d to embrace the Golden Calf.

“Communicating a Vital Message Clearly”

The Torah prohibits the priests from performing the one mitzvah--burying the dead, that seems so natural for them.

"Never Give Up Hope!"

The Torah teaches that in addition to lifting up a scoop of ashes and placing them near the altar, the priest must remove the accumulated ashes from the altar and bring them outside the camp to a pure place. The Beit Yaakov interprets this as a metaphor never to give up hope on any Jew. Even though the embers seem to be dying, we must enable them to glow again by placing them in a pure place.

"The Conundrum of Childbirth"

The Torah in parashat Tazria declares that after the birth of a male child, a woman is in a state of ritual impurity for seven days followed by a state of ritual purity for 33 days. After the birth of a female child, the birth mother is in a state of ritual impurity for 14 days, followed by a state of ritual purity for 66 days. Our rabbis are perplexed by the law that a woman should be in a state of ritual impurity at all after giving birth to a child, and why the numbers of days of impurity and purity are doubled for a female child as opposed to the birth of a male child.

"Some Important Lessons That We Learn from the Ancient Biblical Tzara'at"

The laws of the Biblical disease, tzara'at, are complex, and seem rather irrelevant. By surveying the nuances of the text in parashat Tazria we learn many profound messages about judging others favorably, healing ourselves and coming closer to G-d.

"'Naked' Means More than Naked"

It is no accident that the Torah states that Adam and Eve were both "ah'roo'mim"-- naked, in the Garden of Eden and that the serpent was "ah'room"-- naked and cunning. Not only was defying G-d by eating the forbidden fruit a loss of innocence for humankind, it also represented the failure of the human being to abide by the only mitzvah that they had been given. And now they were naked. To heal this shortcoming, the human beings are charged to clothe themselves in righteousness, and attire themselves in the words and the spirit of Torah.

"Clothes: A Reflection of the Divine Image"

Clothes play an important role in Judaism and in Jewish tradition. After all, the Al-mighty was the first designer of clothes for Adam and Eve. The clothes that the priests wore not only invested them with sanctity, but also represented the values that the priests were trying to communicate to the people.