Parashat B’reishit 5782: “Am I My brother’s Keeper?”, The most evil maxim in the world

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote that Cain’s question, “am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) is the most evil maxim in the world, because it attests to Cain’s indifference to the fratricide he committed and the repercussions of pain it causes. This perspective is an important reminder that indifference can tear communities apart by only valuing the contributions or presence of some over the sanctity of the community.

Parashat Matot-Masei 5781: Departures, Boundaries, and Borders

On July 10, 2021 in my small Orthodox shul, I gave this d’var Torah about the week’s double Torah portion, Matot-Masei. I was inspired, unexpectedly, by a scene from the Japanese film Departures (2008), to first notice the boundaries, borders, crossing-overs, and yes, departures, in the parsha, and as well to think about the significance of those boundaries and borders on rosh ḥodesh Av, as we transition into mourning for the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, Tisha b’Av.

What are the ways we can relate the boundaries and borders around us? I write that the example of the tribes of Gad, Reuven, and half of Menashe give us an example to follow of how to negotiate literal and figurative borders in our own lives.

Shavuot 5781: To Hear and Obey

I adapted an interpretation I’m developing from the chapter on Hobbes, Hebrew Bible, and covenant from my dissertation into a short shiur for a community learning program that I participated in over Shavuot. Focusing on the possible ways to interpret the Hebrew root shin-mem-ayin (שמע), these sources are a way to explore what exactly the Israelites promised at Mount Sinai.

The holiday of Shavuot (one of the shalosh regalim, three pilgrimage holidays) celebrates the giving of the Torah at Sinai. The passages in Exodus 19-24 (covenanting) from which this shiur draws are of particular relevance. The other shalosh regalim are Sukkot and Pesach.

rosh hashana 5781: Women’s cries as piercing as the shofar’s blast

This year, due to the restrictions on gatherings due to Covid-19, we could only meet in groups of 10. For Orthodox Jews, this means that once there are ten men to make a minyan or quorum, the gathering maxes out. For the first time, we had separate women’s Rosh Hashana (New Year) services, and when I was asked to give one of the divrei Torah (sermons), I knew I had to speak to how central women are to the texts we read on this holiday.

Sarah, Hagar, Ḥana, and Raḥel are all part of these texts, and all appear in their capacity as mothers, or would-be mothers, but if we look closely at Ḥana’s example, as someone whom we all imitate in our prayer, we can see that these women are also showing us that the shofar blasts are a call to listen for the cries of agony, of pain, of internal struggle, not only a call to wake up ourselves to renewal in the new year.

This d’var Torah is dedicated in memory to Ruth Bader Ginsburg z’’l.

Parashat Balak: transformation and zealotry

Parashat Balak (Numbers 19:1-22:1) recounts the story of Bil’am, who is sent by Balak, king of the Moabites, to curse the Israelites in their encampment. Along the way, Bil’am’s donkey leads him to a relationship with God that transforms the curse into a blessing, “how goodly are your tents, O Jacob.” This blessing causes a rapprochement between the Israelites and the other peoples near them; Pinḥas, outraged at the intimacy of these relationships, murders a Jewish man and Midianite woman.

In grappling with these two figures in this parsha, I pose the paths Bil’am and Pinḥas take against a line from the week’s haftarah [weekly reading from the Book of Prophets], “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Do Bil’am or Pinḥas act justly? Love mercy? Walk humbly with God?

Source Sheet on Leadership through Different Facets of Moses

What does it mean to be a leader? In Jewish tradition, Moses is a prophet, lawgiver, judge, and communal guide, and is held up as a paragon of leadership and piety. The texts indicate that he does not lead without faltering or without doubting, and thus we can learn much from Moses’ complicated example by digging into these sources to think about leadership and community.