JTS Torah Archive

Between Creation and Revelation

Oct 21, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Bereishit

Creation and the act of creating stand at the essence of Parashat Bereishit.

Biblical Negotiations

Oct 18, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah

This week’s Torah reading opens with the death of our matriarch, Sarah, and Abraham’s subsequent acquisition of a burial place for his deceased wife.

The Revolutionary Nature of Learning Torah

Oct 15, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Simhat Torah

This weekend marks the solemn conclusion of Deuteronomy and the joyous beginning of Genesis as we celebrate the holiday of Simhat Torah.

Tarry a Day Longer

Oct 14, 2006 By Eliezer B. Diamond | Commentary | Shemini Atzeret

For me as a child Sh’mini Atzeret was without question the least memorable among the Jewish holidays of the fall season. Sandwiched between the high drama of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and the pageantry of Sukkot on one hand and the revelry of Simhat Torah on the other, Sh’mini Atzeret often seemed more like a way station than a destination. It had only two distinguishing characteristics. The first, the prayer for rain, seemed to me supremely irrelevant and even perverse; I wasn’t a farmer and I liked spending time outdoors, so what was the upside to rain? The second, Yizkor, was depressing; in any case in the synagogue of my youth those lucky enough to have parents who were alive and well repaired to the lobby to schmooze while the sad and serious business of Yizkor took place behind closed doors.

Seeing Sukkot in the Book of Jonah

Oct 7, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Sukkot | Yom Kippur

This week, we make our preparations for the coming festival of Sukkot.

The Poetry of Forgiveness

Sep 30, 2006 By Stephen P. Garfinkel | Commentary | Shabbat Shuvah

Poetry is the soul of religion.

Life Is Good

Sep 23, 2006 By Arnold M. Eisen | Commentary | Rosh Hashanah

One of the things we look forward to as the holidays approach is the renewed encounter with melodies and rituals, texts and tastes, which we have developed great affection for over the years. It’s like the feeling one has at the sight of old friends coming down a path to greet us, prompting recollections of the good times we have enjoyed together. I feel that way about the Torah portions that we read on the two days of Rosh Hashanah. I know them well, after all these years, but as with good friends I still wonder what they will have to say to me this year, and I to them.

An Exegetical and Archaeological Experience

Aug 19, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Re'eh

This past June, our family journeyed to Israel — to reenergize our spiritual selves, to reconnect with the land and people of Israel, and to introduce our daughter to friends and family.

Our Choice in the Shema

Aug 12, 2006 By David-Seth Kirshner | Commentary | Eikev

This week’s Parashat Eikev is about hearing and listening.

The Root of All Blessing

Aug 12, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Eikev

Loyalty to covenant and the observance of mitzvot are the theme of Parashat Eikev. Even more movingly (and especially at this time of distress in Israel), the parashah speaks of the beauty and blessing of the land of Israel. In addition to enumerating the seven species (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates), Torah relates: “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill . . . a land where you may eat food without stint, and where you will lack nothing” (Deuteronomy 8:7–10). 

The Joy of Torah

Aug 5, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Va'et-hannan

This past week, I have been receiving many photographs of the destruction raining down on northern Israel. Among the many images, the most moving one was a modest picture taken in the city of Safed. Protected within the four walls of a bomb shelter, it is an image of a rabbi teaching Torah to a group of students. As a page of Talmud sits open before each participant, the rabbi teaches energetically to his receptive audience. For me, this demonstrates the power of learning within the Jewish community — and the extent to which learning has the potential to shape each and every one of us. Even at a time when our thoughts are undoubtedly elsewhere, Torah remains at the center of our identity.

The Seven Qualities of Leadership

Jul 29, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Devarim

Leadership is the cornerstone of who we are as Jewish people.

“My Heart Is in the East”

Jul 22, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Masei | Mattot

The stirring words of the medieval poet of Zion, Yehudah HaLevi, echo through each and every generation: “My heart is in the East, and I am in the far reaches of the West.”

Exposing Narrative Fissures

Jul 15, 2006 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Pinehas

As a guest columnist for the New York Times this past Friday, Judith Warner shared that her nine–year–old daughter “was terrified of narrative tension — cliffhanger pauses, unanswered questions, any sense of foreboding or even strong anticipation.”

Hearing God’s Voice

Jul 8, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Hukkat

We communicate with each other and with God through our voices.

What Makes Us Holy?

Jul 1, 2006 By Charles Savenor | Commentary | Korah

Remembered mainly as the power–hungry rebel swallowed by the earth for challenging Moses and Aaron’s authority, Korah is also depicted by the Midrash as a wealthy and successful former minister in Pharaoh’s court and the patriarch of his Levitical family clan.

Communion and Closeness

Jun 17, 2006 By JTS Alumni | Commentary | Beha'alotekha

By Rabbi Jay M. Kornsgold

I have always been intrigued when reading the Torah by the out of the ordinary occurrences in the text itself such as dots above words and larger or smaller letters. Often, discussions in my congregation become focused on these anomalies. In the portion of B’ha·alot’kha the Hebrew letter nun is reversed before and after the following passage: “When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say: Advance, O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered, And may Your foes flee before You! And when it halted, he would say: Return, O Lord, You who are Israel’s myriads of thousands.” (Numbers 10:35 36)

An Extra Book

Jun 17, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Beha'alotekha

Parashat B’ha–alot’kha continues the narrative of the Israelite journey through the wilderness of Sinai. More than that, a curious phenomenon occurs at the midpoint of this week’s parashah. An inverted Hebrew letter nun appears twice, forming bookends around two verses: Numbers 10:35–36. They read, “When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say: Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered, and your foes flee before You! And when it halted, he would say: Return, O Lord, You who are Israel’s myriads of thousands!” While these verses are most recognizable from the opening of the ark during the Torah service, the unusual markings formed by the inverted nuns lead to a fascinating teaching in the Babylonian Talmud.

Finding God’s Presence

Jun 10, 2006 By JTS Alumni | Commentary | Naso

By Rabbi David Greenspoon (RS ’95)

The ancient rabbis were close readers of the Bible, and developed a whole lexicon on how texts were read. Contemporary readers of rabbinic midrash frequently note how the exegetical methods of the rabbis so often presaged modern literary theory. For instance, the rabbis suggested that close proximity of biblical texts, samchut parshiyot, lent itself to appreciating a deeper message from the Bible.

Priestly Love

Jun 10, 2006 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Naso

At the heart of Parashat Naso stands the text of the priestly blessing. Numbers chapter 6, verse 22–26 relates, “The Lord spoke to Moses: Speak to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the people of Israel. Say to them: The Lord bless you and protect you! The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you! The Lord bestow God’s favor on you and grant you peace!” The text of this benediction is known asbirkat kohanim, the blessing of the priests. It is best known in the context of the priestly service called dukhenen.