Seven Minute Torah

A single confusing word in the story of the Exodus yields a message about the lifelong process of becoming your best self.

What is the power of the Passover story? How has it captured the hearts and minds of so many Jews for so many generations? I argue that this story brings out our sense of longing for a better world, and that it has helped Jews maintained a sense of cohesiveness as a people. I reference Susan Cain's new book Bitter Sweet and her argument about the power of longing.

Metzora is about a mysterious plague that appears on the walls of a house. In debating whether it describes something real or mythical, the Rabbis teach a lesson about knowing, and knowing what we don't know.

Tazria is about scaly skin disease and priestly diagnosis. But when we examine it through the Rabbis' eyes, it is about our responsibility to each other in times of suffering. We explore a passage from the Talmud that helps drive home that idea.

In this interview with Alden Solovy, we try to understand the tragic story of Nadav and Avihu in the context of what it means to be a prayer leader. We also talk about creative liturgy, poetic midrash, and making the prayerbook accessible for "Jews in the pews."

Alden's website: tobendlight.com/

And his books of liturgy and poetic midrash are available at https://www.ccarpress.org/.

Rabbi Michael Satz offers thoughts about the ancient Temple sacrifices, how we can relate to them in a post-Temple world, and what it means to offer the worship of our hearts.

As we open the book of Leviticus, the Torah turns to the rules of sacrifice. The message of these ancient Temple offerings is, ultimately, about recognizing wrongdoing and striving toward being your best self.

In this conversation with Rabbi Barry Block, we talk about the precious gems in the High Priest's breastplate, as a metaphor for the imperative to create equity by considering the individual needs of students/communities in education. Plus, in the bonus interview, we talk about the Jewish context around social and racial justice in the American south.

• Rabbi Block's book: The The Social Justice Torah Commentary, published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
• Rabbi Block's book recommendation: Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.

In yet another portion about the building of the Tabernacle, the Torah discusses the unexpected skills and talents that the Israelites discovered in the wilderness. What does this have to do with our own skills and talents, and with the journey to being your best self?

This week's Torah portion speaks about a census in the wilderness. We'll explore why they only counted the Israelites from age 20 and up, and what it has to do with our own Judaism.