I Before Thou?
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past week’s Torah portion, Balak, finds the Israelites continuing their wilderness journey, circuitously making their way to the Promised Land. (And doesn’t it mirror life’s wanderings, finding periods in our lives as something of a wilderness as we make our way towards what we imagine to be a land of milk and […]
What’s So Special About Aaron?
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past week was Parashat Chukat, the Torah portion from the Book of Be’midbar (known in English as the Book of Numbers, but which literally translates to “In the Wilderness”), in which, as part of the prolonged wanderings in the wilderness, Aaron, the High Priest and elder brother of Moses, dies. “[When] the whole community knew […]
Being Grateful for Being In Service
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar This past week’s parashah (torah portion) Korah is famous for the rebellion that takes place in its opening verses: Korah is the name of a dissatisfied Levite tribesman who feels that too much power has accrued in the hands of Moses and Aaron, and therefore seeks more power for himself. (I discussed it extensively in […]
The Seismic Week That Was
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Since the last time I composed a D’var Torah (effectively, sermon) to this community, on June 16, the following seismic events have taken place: in chronological order, An earthquake struck southeast Afghanistan killing approximately one thousand people; The Supreme Court limited the ability of states to pass legislation prohibiting people from carrying handguns in […]
Uniqueness Does Not Equal Significance; and More Ways of Exploring Torah
By Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Not every Torah portion has us hanging on the edge of our seat with cliffhangers or narrative tension. In fact, while considered a holy document, the text of the Torah can oftentimes feel quite… mundane. So it was in this past week’s portion, Naso, whose title refers to a census the Israelites […]