By Julia Spiegel, fourth year rabbinical student Parashat Tzav Leviticus 6:1-8:36 The right to free speech, the right to a fair trial, the right to protest, and freedom of expression. I have been thinking about rights and freedom because of the crackdowns on civil liberties happening around us, filling my newsfeed. Not new but intensified, shifting shape. Watching the footage of Tufts doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk be picked up by ICE in Somerville a few weeks ago makes me wonder... Read more
Parashat Vayikra Leviticus 1:1-5:26 “Vayikra”: “And God called” (Lev 1:1). This could have been a loud, dramatic word, announcing a series of divine decrees to open the book of Leviticus. But Parshat Vayikra begins with an unusual calligraphic detail: the final aleph of the first word, ויקרא (Vayikra), is smaller than all the other letters. This oddity of script catches the eye; it asks the reader to stop, linger, and draw closer to the text. The word “call out” contracts... Read more
By Jayce Koester, Hebrew College rabbinical student Parashat Pekudei Exodus 38:21-40:38 My spouse and I are currently preparing for a big move in a few short months. This will be our fourth move in four years, and the question “What makes a home?” has been a constant companion amidst the waves of excitement, stress, and trepidation. Building a new home, even with people you already love and are in a deep relationship with, is no small task. Unsurprisingly, the questions... Read more
By Rabbi Frankie Sandmel Parashat Vayekhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20) There is no doubt that this year, 2025, there is work to be doing. For anyone who has read the news recently, regardless of where one falls on the headlines of the day, it is clear being a Jew in the world today means recognizing that there is much work to be done to build the world that we want. Parshat Veyekhel is all about doing the work. Specifically, it’s about starting the... Read more
Stirring Ingredients By Alyssa Coffey, Hebrew College rabbinical student Parshat Ki Tisa Exodus 30:11-34:35 Towards the beginning of Parshat Ki Tisa, after the laws of the half-shekel offering, we hear detailed instructions for the making of the anointing oil for the mishkan and priests, as well as the incense – ketoret – to be burned twice daily. It is the recipe for the incense (Exodus 30:34-38) which grabs my attention. The description of the incense itself manages to be at... Read more
Parashat Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20-30:10) By Adam Zemel Tetzaveh begins when God pauses dictating instructions for the Tabernacle to consecrate Aaron and his four sons — Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar — as priests. The appointment reads like necessary information dispensed to get on with the instructions for the making and fabrication of priestly garments and vestments. Later, Aaron and his sons return to the text for enrobing and anointing, and to conduct the sacrificial slaughters and burnt offerings. Reading these instructions... Read more
By Rabbi Daniel Klein, Hebrew College Rabbinical School ’10 Parashat Terumah Exdodus 25:1-27:19 As we move through these unfolding uncertain and challenging times, our locations in the annual Torah reading and holiday cycles offer powerful and complementary guidance for how we might respond. With Parashat Terumah this week, we begin a series of parshiyot on the building of the mishkan, the portable tabernacle in the wilderness. It is reasonable to read this section of the Torah as a continuation of... Read more
Parashat Mishpatim Exodus 21:1-24:18 Recently, I attended a cozy concert by one of my favorite singer-songwriters. Halfway through, the music was interrupted by a distracting buzzing sound. The performer watched us dig through our bags from her perch onstage with amusement. Suddenly, she leapt toward her own bag at the foot of the stage. “Sorry about that,” she explained. “Every night at 10:00 I have an alarm set to remind me ‘Hey – You’re allowed to enjoy life today.’ I... Read more
Parashat Yitro Exodus 18:1-20:23 One of my favorite Yiddish folk songs begins “un mir zaynen ale brider, un mir zingen freylekhe lider (We are all brothers, we sing happy songs”.) Ale Brider is based on the poem Akhdes (Unity) by Morris Winchevsky. Additional lyrics with new expressions of unity have been added over time. “Un mir zaynen ale shvester (We are all sisters.”) Recent lyrics celebrate LGBTQ Jews, and I added a verse a few years ago for online gatherings.... Read more
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Breaking Risk
Parshat Shemini Lev. 9:1-11:47 Parshat Shemini concludes with God describing to Moshe many of the laws of kashrut (dietary laws), namely, lists of animals which are either permitted or forbidden to eat. Moshe also receives information about procedures for responding to cases in which the corpse of a deceased animal – that is, an animal which was not ritually slaughtered – comes into contact with people or objects, thereby transmitting ritual impurity. Note the difference in how different materials are... Read more