Ḥukat: The Logic of the Red Heifer
byPurification from the impurity of death is achieved through the mysterious ritual of the Red Heifer.
Culture
Koraḥ: He Saw Shmuel
byShmuel might’ve superficially appeared to institute Koraḥ’s ideal anarchistic society. But his actions ultimately led to stronger national institutions.
Shlaḥ Lekha: Good Intentions
byDue to their deep love & genuine concern for the people of Israel, the spies committed a terrible transgression that still holds lessons for us today.
B’haalotkha: Redemption from Below
byA second chance is offered for one very important mitzvah because being part of the nation of Israel requires one to deeply self-identify as having been personally liberated from slavery in Egypt.
Nasso: Near & Far
byThe Torah’s different ways of addressing the personal crises people face might carry a dangerous side effect of too heavily focussing on the individual.
Bamidbar: The Collective & the Individual
byWhen confronting the challenges of Bamidbar, the Torah strikes a balance between the value of the individual & the importance of the collective.
Beḥukotai: In Your Anger May You Remember Compassion
byWithin the framework of nature, six represents creation & the seven represents a goal to be achieved within creation. Eight is beyond nature.
Emor: Holiness of the Kohanim
byThe power of the kohanim originates from two sources. Their separateness from Israel (above) & their connection to the nation (below).
Kedoshim: Sanctified for Praise
byContrary to popular belief, a blessing before eating doesn’t make the food holy but actually removes its kedusha (making it permissible to eat). The ‘after brakha’ then adds a level of holiness beyond nature.
Aḥarei Mot: Going In & Coming Out
byThe High Priest loses his identity as a result of the supreme pleasure inherent in being submerged in the Divine Presence. Therefore a rope is tied to him to remind him of his mission in the material world.
Metzora: Counting to Eight
byThe purified metzora waiting for seven days outside his tent parallels Moshe’s delay in returning to the people of Israel, after years of separation while in the house of Pharaoh & then later in Midian.
Tazria: Eight Types of Tzaraat
byThe Torah presents us with different forms of tzaraat, expressing various levels of moral decline.