The Nazirite: Saint or Sinner?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2022 | Amos, Holiness, Naso, Purity, Temple

The Book of Numbers describes the vow of the Nazir (Nazirite). The Nazir is not allowed to drink wine, cut his hair, or come into close contact with the dead. The meaning of the Hebrew word nazir is a bit ambiguous. It literally means ‘to separate’. Rashi explains...

Why Are There Limitations Regarding Who a Priest Can Marry?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 11, 2022 | Emor, Marriage and Relationships, Purity, Temple

Until the Exodus from Egypt, the patriarchs had an individual relationship with God, bringing sacrifices wherever and whenever they felt the calling. But when God brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt, what had been a clan, a loose conglomeration of individuals,...

What Does it Mean to Be Holy?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 1, 2022 | Holiness, Kedoshim, Purity, Shabbat

Leviticus Chapter 19 begins with a deceptively simple commandment:  You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your God, am holy. Leviticus 19:2 There has been much speculation about this verse. At first glance, the imperative seems impossible as it requires the nation of...

The Torah Prohibition Against Blood and Hunting

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 26, 2022 | Acharei Mot, Antisemitism, Purity

In Leviticus, God prohibits Israel from eating blood in the strictest terms. This prohibition also includes hunting and eating from the carcass of a dead animal (Leviticus 17:10-16), and the punishment for one who violates this is karet. In fact, the prohibition...

The Yom Kippur Temple Service

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 25, 2022 | Acharei Mot, Holiness, Humility, Purity, Repentance, Shabbat, Temple, Yom Kippur

The Torah portion of Acharei Mot (Leviticus 16-18) describes the Temple service on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Bible mandates 15 specific sacrifices and many other rituals for Yom Kippur, or Yom HaKippurim, outlined in Leviticus chapter 16. The literal...

The Ritual Bath: A Spiritual Rebirth

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 7, 2022 | Marriage and Relationships, Metzorah, Modesty, Purity, Repentance, Temple

In modern times, we rarely think of the state of our spiritual purity. We can go into a synagogue, travel where we want, handle fruits and vegetables and sit on any chair without thinking about the spiritual ramifications. But in ancient Israel, when the Temple stood,...