Parashat Chukat: A Sibling Rivalry that Refuses to be Put to Rest by Yaakov Bieler
June 27, 2012 by Jack Bieler
Filed under New Posts
Revisiting a dispute of long ago. In Parashat Chukat, we encounter a curious exchange between Moshe and the King of Edom, which reverberates with enmities of long ago. BaMidbar 20:14-21. And Moshe sent messengers from Kadesh to the King of Edom (with the following message): So says your brother Israel—You know all of the difficulties [...]
Tradition 45:1 Available Online!
Dear Reader, We are pleased to announce that Tradition 45.1 is now available online. Please visit TraditionOnline.org or click on the links below to directly access this issue. Sincerely, Shlomo Brody Online Editor, Tradition Vol. 45, No. 1: Spring 2012 Editor’s Note: The One Thing Money Can’t Buy by Shalom Carmy (Dialogue with Avi Woolf [...]
Parashat Korach: Moshe at a Loss for Words? by Yaakov Bieler
June 18, 2012 by Jack Bieler
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For once, Moshe and Aharon are silent before a Divine Threat to Destroy the Jewish people. In Parashat Korach we encounter an intriguing radical departure from the standard pattern of behavior that Jewish biblical leaders up until this point have regularly undertaken. The rebels who challenged the legitimacy of Aharon’s position as Kohen Gadol (High [...]
Parashat Shelach: The Mysterious Case of the Shabbat Wood-Gatherer by Yaakov Bieler
June 12, 2012 by Jack Bieler
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A sinful act in the Parasha that is generally overshadowed. Aside from the long series of events associated with the sin of the Meraglim (spies) recorded in Parashat Shelach,[1] a transgression dealt with in a far more curt and ambiguous fashion is the incident of the Mekoshesh Eitzim (the stick gatherer [on Shabbat]) BaMidbar 15:32-36 [...]
“I’ve Looked at CLOUDS from Both Sides Now” by Yaakov Bieler
June 2, 2012 by Jack Bieler
Filed under New Posts
“I’ve Looked at CLOUDS from Both Sides Now” (Joni Mitchell) Special Clouds in the desert. a. Where to go. Bamidbar 9:15-23 of Parashat Naso provides additional information with regard to the Divine Cloud(s)[1] that accompanied the Jews during their forty years of desert wanderings. When the Jewish people were first freed from Egypt, the Tora [...]