THOUGHTS ON THE PARASHAH Rabbi Evan Hoffman – Congregation Anshe Sholom evanhoffman@gmail.com Parshat Tazria – פרשת תזריע April 6, 2019 – א ניסן תשעט This essay is sponsored by Edite Vieira in memory of Maria Da Conceicao De Jesus Sebastiao. Consigning Tzara’at to History Most studies on tzara’at either a) examine the spiritual...
THOUGHTS ON THE PARASHAH Rabbi Evan Hoffman – Congregation Anshe Sholom evanhoffman@gmail.com Parshat Shemini – פרשת שמיני March 30, 2019 – כג אדר שני תשעט This essay is sponsored by Sisterhood in honor of the birth of Abigail Zoe Reuben, granddaughter of Honey & Sol Neier. Silence in the House of Mourning Rav Pappa asserted
THOUGHTS ON PURIM Rabbi Evan Hoffman – Congregation Anshe Sholom evanhoffman@gmail.com Purim 5779 This essay is sponsored by Sisterhood in honor of the birth of Oriyah Danielle Miller, granddaughter of Terry & Ted Miller, great-granddaughter of Lenore Levin. Mordecai’s Refusal to Bow Haman’s genocidal plot against the Jews was...
Parshat Pekudei – פרשת פקודי March 9, 2019 – ב אדר שני תשעט Expensive Judaism Exodus 38 offers a precise accounting of the metals used in the construction of the Tabernacle. The numbers are staggering: over 29 talents of gold, over 100 talents of silver, and over 70 talents of brass. (A talent equaled three thousand shekels.) This
THOUGHTS ON THE PARASHAH Rabbi Evan Hoffman – Congregation Anshe Sholom evanhoffman@gmail.com Parshat Vayakhel – פרשת ויקהל March 2, 2019 – כה אדר ראשון תשעט The Mirrors The laver was an important cultic vessel. Officiating priests were obligated to wash their hands and feet from the laver’s sanctified waters before commencing their daily...
THOUGHTS ON THE PARASHAH Rabbi Evan Hoffman – Congregation Anshe Sholom evanhoffman@gmail.com Parshat Ki Tisa – פרשת כי תשא February 23, 2019 – יח אדר ראשון תשעט The Golden Calf & the Exodus The episode of the Golden Calf was a spiritual low point for the ancient Israelites. Just forty days after the Theophany, while still