| Vayikra 5760 - March 17, 2000 |
The Shrinking of Man
Once upon a time, man was very big. The stars were tiny lights suspended in the "sky," which was a blue, rooflike covering a few hundred miles above his head. At the very most, he was aware of the existence of several hundred thousand other human beings. He was obviously the most important thing around--stones were just stones and animals were just animals.
Now that we know better, have we become more humble? Less infatuated with the self?
| FROM THE CHASSIDIC MASTERS |
The Offered Beast
Man, says the Talmud, is a world in miniature. Which means that the world is a man in macro. Our world contains oceans and continents, forests and deserts, men and beasts; so, too, does man. The human psyche includes a subconscious "sea" and a "terrestrial" persona; it has lush forests and barren deserts; and it has a "human soul" and an "animal soul."
Purim Saragossa
Before the beadle could say anything, the vision disappeared. He quickly awoke, trembling with fright. He pulled on some clothes and ran all the way to the Synagogue, stumbling in the dark. He was certain that the man in his dream must be none other than Elijah the Prophet, and that his dream was a serious warning which he must see to without delay.
The Benefits of Being Stupid When You're Old
I am the oldest and the dumbest in my class. I can't remember any of the words, no matter how often I hear them or look them up in my dictionary. Verb conjugation is beyond me. And trying to form a sentence just to answer a question, let alone express a thought, causes my throat to tighten involuntarily. I sit in dread of being called on by our teacher, a very kind, middle-aged woman who, I can tell, takes pity on me. She treats me kindly and pretends I gave sort of the right answer. Fortunately my classmates don't make fun of me; at most, they treat my responses with compassionate sickly grins and then look away quickly.
Is G-d Religious?
Considering what we know about G-d, it would seem not. Nor would it seem that being religious will bring a person closer to G-d. If G-d transcends all limitation and definition, why would the way to relate to G-d be to impose further restriction and definition on our already finite and constricted lives?
| POSTCARD FROM WESTON, Fl. |
The synagogue blaze started after the evening services on a Friday night, and by the time the fire fighters arrived there was little that could be salvaged. Tearful congregants in Weston found their entire synagogue gutted the next morning, religious objects destroyed and the Torah scroll badly damaged.
|
Vayikra
Leviticus 1:1-5:26
Week of March 12 - 18, 2000
The Parshah In A Nutshell
Full Parshah Summary With Commentary
THE REBBE: 50 YEARS
PREVIOUS ISSUE
NEXT ISSUE
MAGAZINE ARCHIVES
|
