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Torah Portion – Shelach
S
everal decades ago a group of Israeli scholars from an organization called “til Tekhelet (www.tekhelet.com) visited Baltimore, where I then resided to speak about their discovery of the authentic tekhelet, the blue dye which was used extensively in ancient times by royalty and, more importantly, to color some of the fringes of the tzitzit.
As it is noted in this week’s Torah portion, Shelach (Numbers 13:1-15:41):
“The Lord said to Moses as follows: Speak to the Israelite people and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the Commandments of the Lord and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge…” (Numbers 15:37-39)
Torah Portion – Behar-Bechukotai
By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
The word “bullying” refers to a behavior that victimizes others, that abuses them physically, or more typically, verbally. Words dinflict pain upon others and often cause long lasting damage to them. Lately, we have read of more than one suicide which was the result of bullying.
During the past few years, as the public has become more concerned about bullying, I have been asked many times: “What does Judaism have to say about this?”
In fact, Judaism has a lot to say about bullying. One especially relevant source is in the first of this week’s double Torah portion, Behar-Bechukotai. “Do not wrong one another…” (Leviticus 25:17) Rashi quotes the Talmud, which states emphatically that this refers to verbal abuse.
Jewish Ledger
Torah Portion – Tazriya Metzora
H
e never returned phone calls. He certainly never returned e-mails. He rarely smiled. He had very sophisticated tastes in wine and fine liquor. He had the vocabulary of a sailor and seemed to be acquainted with the profanities of every known language.
Don’t get me wrong. He had many fine qualities, and considered himself to be religious, even pious.
“After all,” he would say, “I am careful that the meals that I order are always absolutely kosher. The Torah doesn’t prohibit wine, nor does it require us to refrain from delicious food, and it places no limits on the quantity of food that we eat.”
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