Sefer Vayikra is the only book in Tanach where we find the expression, v’yarata m’elokecha (“and you shall have awe for your G-d”). It appears three times in Parashat … more

It is an old word, and it describes a behavior that has been around since the beginning of history. Yet the word seems to me to be used more and more frequently these days, and the behavior it … more

I argued in my “Covenant and Conversation” for parshat Kedoshim that Judaism is more than an ethnicity. It is a call to holiness. In one sense, however, there is an important ethnic … more

CHAPTER 23 of our parasha is popularly known as parashat hamoadim. In its introductory verses we find: And Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: … more

WHEN I was in high school, my mother arranged for me to get a ride to school once a week with one of the teachers. We lived in Manhattan, and as the high school I attended was in Riverdale, having a … more

IN every group, there is one person who stands out as special. In childhood, it is often the kid with the greatest athletic prowess. Later in life, different attributes begin to qualify a person to … more

THE parsha of Emor contains a chapter dedicated to the festivals of the Jewish year. There are five such passages in the Torah. Two, both in the book of Exodus (Ex. 23:14-17; Ex. 34:18, 22-23), are … more

The prohibition of eating blood is one of the best-known mitzvot in Parashat Acharei Mot. In his Commentary on the Torah, on Sefer Vayikra 17:10-11, the Ramban notes that many of the verses that … more

In these weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, there is a widely practiced custom to study Pirkei Avot (the Chapters or Ethics of the Fathers). Some even extend this practice until Rosh Hashana; instead … more

He never returned phone calls. He certainly never returned e-mails. He rarely smiled. He had very sophisticated tastes in wine and fine liquor. A seven-course gourmet dinner with a wine pairing at … more