You have so much! Because all of the congregation, all of them, are holy, and the Lord is among them. And why do you raise yourselves over the Lord’s community?” Korah speaking to Moses and Aaron Numbers 16:3 Social hierarchy is not exclusive to humans. The animal kingdom has a variety of species that areContinue reading “The Art of the Theme: Korah”
Category Archives: bible
Separation of Power? Bechaalotecha
Institution powers “will find a way. ” Dr. Ian Malcolm’s “life finds a way” from Jurassic Park rings true when political forces encroach upon the established powers. Professionally, I have witnessed existentially threatened institutions both re-invent and assert themselves. The results were shockingly successful. “Finding a way” is so powerful that even the dinosaurs foundContinue reading “Separation of Power? Bechaalotecha”
The Vow: Naso
The Torah Portion Naso is a springboard to many questions. Why have Nazarites? Why create a social status involving abstinence? Was there an unmentioned purpose for having Nazarite status? Has this concept continued through modernity? Perhaps, the most provocative Nazarite status question is “whether something can be simultaneously bad and good?” The Portion Naso laysContinue reading “The Vow: Naso”
Bamidbar: Superorganism?
To understand the Israelite class structure, the concept of a superorganism should be considered. A superorganism is neither “super” nor is it a mere “organism,” rather, it is the recognition that a species or group can depart from individuality. Superorganisms are societies which function as an organic whole. A biological concept tied to it isContinue reading “Bamidbar: Superorganism?”
Behar-Bechukotai: The Good Life?
Why do people advocate the Ten Commandments to solve societal woes? A passage from the Torah Portion Behar-Bechukotai explains. “And you shall do my laws and observe my judgments and do them, so you will live on the land in security.” Leviticus 25:18. It is about having a good life. Decalogue compliance arguably includes theContinue reading “Behar-Bechukotai: The Good Life?”
Acharei-Mot Kidushim: Of Holiness
While the Torah Portion Acharei-Mot Kidushim contains large parts of the Ten Commandments, it differs from the Ten Commandments. Leviticus 19:2 commands that “You shall be holy, because I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” In contrast, the Decalogue’s first mention of holiness pertains to the Sabbath. In making this assertion, the Tetragrammaton, the fourContinue reading “Acharei-Mot Kidushim: Of Holiness”
Tazria: Beyond Comprehension?
Are there matters beyond comprehension? The Torah Portion Tazria’s Circumcision Commandment, when viewed in context, may be one of them. Appearing in Leviticus, the commandment was promulgated post-Exodus and pre-entry into the Promised Land. In a general biblical perspective, a circumcision commandment should be something benign. The instruction was: “[a]nd on the eighth day theContinue reading “Tazria: Beyond Comprehension?”
Shemini: A High Standard?
I grew up in an intoxicated world known as Los Angeles. More likely than not, my contemporaries used drugs and alcohol. Junior High School was when the abuse originated. I recall one classmate having a cornucopia of drugs stored a tin which was then housed in her locker. For another, I recall that even hisContinue reading “Shemini: A High Standard?”
Welcome to The Inner Circle? Tzav
For Kohens-Priestly descendants- the Torah Portion Tzav may be riveting. For commoners, Tzav, a section full of priestly sacrificial instructions and intricacies, is less so. Many find it a painful read. For millennia, the Book of Leviticus- which includes Tzav- has exposed outsiders to the Israelite cult’s affairs. Tzav even takes readers to the innerContinue reading “Welcome to The Inner Circle? Tzav”
Punishment: Vayikra’s Ten Commandments’ Moment
Punishments are mysteriously absent from the Ten Commandments. The “shall not’s” are not accompanied by prescribed penalties. The Torah Portion Vayikra, however, begins to address commandment violation punishments. The remedies for sin, per Vayikra, are in the form of animal sacrifice and grain offerings. According to Richard Elliott Friedman, the sacrifice’s purpose was to recognizeContinue reading “Punishment: Vayikra’s Ten Commandments’ Moment”
The Ten Commandments Project 