Was the Wilderness a Do-Over for Eden?
We all know the story of the Garden of Eden, and we all know how it ended. Eden was a failure. But Eden is only the first story in the Torah. Indeed, we might argue that the story of Eden is echoed elsewhere in the Torah, adjusted by G-d each time in order to yield…
Are We On Jacob’s Ladder? The Power of Touch
Touch (negah) is very important in the Torah – Eve wants to touch the fruit, Avimelech wants to touch Sarai, and G-d touches mankind, to cite just a few examples. In every case, there are significant repercussions: when we (or G-d) touch something, the results can be life-altering. Touch matters. But why? And how? One…
Oil and Flesh
This shall be an anointing oil sacred to Me throughout the ages. It must not be poured on any person’s flesh. (E. 30:32) What is the problem with pouring on flesh, basar? In the Torah, basar is specifically used to refer to the flesh of a torso, and specifically the relationship between a man and…
Why Wash First?
When they enter the Tent of Meeting they shall wash with water, that they may not die … they shall wash their hands and feet, that they may not die. (E. 30:20) Why is this a commandment? A death sentence for not washing hands and feet? We might explain it by suggesting that a key…
Appreciating Stupid and Evil People
Unlike many other religious people, I don’t think the argument for the existence of G-d is ironclad. Indeed, I think it is essential that we are able to deny a divine presence in this world: if the data was so overwhelming that we had no choice in the matter, then mankind would be deprived of…
Eye for an Eye?
One of the classic perceptions of the Old Testament is that it commands a strict and merciless justice. And the single most prominent example comes from this verse: Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, hand for a hand, foot for a foot. (E. 21:24) Casual readers understand this verse as strict like-for-like justice…
Why Does G-d Talk to Himselves?
There are three verses in the Torah refers to G-d in the plural, which obviously poses a conflict with the statement in D. 6 that “G-d is One.” I have written on the first of these here, the second, here. And now we address the third verse. The people of Babel have come together to…
Making Sense of Seemingly Random Verse Placement
In the runup to the Exodus, there is a commandment that seems to come out of left field, concerning the tefillin that Jewish men wear on their arms and forehead: “And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes—in order that the Teaching of G-d may…
We Grow Only When We Reach Across A Gap
Today, most people try to make life as easy and as simple as possible. So when they look for a mate, they look for commonality and a shared worldview. The thinking seems to be that the more two people have in common, the more compatible they will be, and the happier the resulting relationship. I…
G-d’s Physical Presence?
And G-d said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after. (E. 19:9) Why is it necessary that, in the wilderness, G-d appears in a physical form? That this somehow adds to Moses’ credibility?…
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