Seven Minute Torah

In a parashah full of laws, an unexpected commandment about eggs, birds, and nests presents an opportunity to talk about the values behind our choices and actions. We will explore the mitzvah of the "mother bird" through the eyes of two medieval commentators, and discover what values they believe sit behind it.

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This week's parashah is about various kinds of leaders in ancient Israel. It's also about the way Judaism is constantly evolving - and our ongoing responsibility to find new meanings in ancient traditions.

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This parashah describes the dietary laws - what Jews traditionally may and may not eat. What is a liberal Jewish approach to keeping kosher?

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This week's parashah, Ekev, contains the middle paragraph of the Shema - a challenging passage that speaks of God as Source of "reward and punishment." Should this passage be in our prayerbook? How might we read it through modern eyes. Turns it out can also be read as an ecological text.

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This week we dig into the Shema and the command to "v'shinantam l'vanecha - teach (words of Torah) to your children." How has this become such a central idea in Jewish life today?

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With D'varim we begin the final book of Torah. Moses reminds the Israelite people of some past failures - with an eye toward helping them build a better future.

It would be easier to skip the story of the Israelite war with Midian. But by facing it, we can commit to learn from it and to do better going forward.

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A conversation with Rabbi Stacey Blank: Pinchas is a parashah about extremism. What do we do with the Torah's apparent celebration of a violent act, and how can that reading of the text inform the ways we deal with religious extremism in our own society? Plus, we talk about Jerusalem, about liberal Judaism in Israel, and about feminine language in prayer.

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How does a story about a king, a sorcerer, a donkey, and blessings and curses teach us about standing up for what's right in the world? This week, we talk about parashat Balak.

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Thanks for listening!

This week's portion tells about the death of Miriam. But is the whole story really here? We read the text through the eyes of Rashi and the commentators, and of Dr. Judith Plaskow, a contemporary feminist scholar who teaches that it is our responsibility to search for the voices that have been excluded from Torah.

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As always, please email me at rabbistreiffer@gmail.com with questions or comments.