Meander

What just happened: Some sections are easier to relate to than others. And then there was this week’s parsha. Two years ago there wouldn’t have been much to work with here. This year it read like a practical and super relevant how-to guide for people learning to live together, when living together means living with … Read more

What just happened: This was a big one — the laws of kashrut (aka how to be kosher), including surprising news about bunnies and bats! Of possible note: The gestures, the rituals, the blood, the burning — I had never thought of it this way before, but today it really struck me how much these … Read more

What just happened: Leviticus opens with several laws of sacrifice and the details therein which are, let’s be honest, alarming for anyone who either likes pigeons or believes blood should be dashed on the wall rarely if at all. And I thought to myself, Leviticus, your reputation precedes you. Because that’s pretty much what I … Read more

What just happened: The tabernacle is built and the Lord makes an appearance, as we finish Exodus. What’s a tabernacle, you ask? Wikipedia defines it thusly: According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tabernacle, also known as the Tent of the Congregation, was the portable earthly dwelling place of Yahweh used by the Israelites from the … Read more

In brief: The gang brings Jethro up to speed, and God makes a memorable appearance. A couple of thoughts: Where much of Exodus thus far has hit me with a political vibe, this one seemed to be full of great work advice. For example, Jethro basically tells Moses “you really have to learn to delegate … Read more

In brief: Va-Yiggash starts out just as Joseph has demanded Benjamin be left behind and their father brought to Egypt, all on account of a super important stolen-but-not-really-stolen goblet that we’ll never hear about again. Trickery! After some sobbing and neck kissing, all is well in the family, and a score of he and she-assess … Read more

In brief: Joseph gets a haircut, some new clothes, some more new clothes, a wife, two kids, and nigh-Pharaoh-like power over the kingdom. So all in all, a pretty good bounce back for this promising young man. Years of abundance pass. And years of famine begin, all as foretold by Joseph, who, like a well-coiffed … Read more

In brief: We meet Jacob’s second-youngest-son Joseph, who is beloved by his father, and a bit of a twerp. Speaking of Joseph’s father, despite being renamed by the Lord, which you would think would count for something, so-called “Israel” is actually still called “Jacob.” This naming thing is complicated. Joseph is sold into slavery. In … Read more

In brief: Toledot kicks off the story of Isaac and his family of tricksters. I mean no disrespect here. But it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that everyone in this family is, well, one who tricks. Almost everyone that is. More on that in a moment. We learn that Esau — Isaac and Rebekah’s eldest … Read more