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Parsha BEHAR

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William Hamilton

May 12, 2018, 1:06 AM

Where you stand depends upon where you’ve sat

Who was King David? Was he the young underdog against Goliath or the mighty warrior of battlefield prowess? Was he the abuser of power who attained Bathsheba or the righteous ancestor of the future messianic leader? Having spent the day with Michelangelo’s...

Moshe-Mordechai van Zuiden

May 8, 2018, 6:27 AM

Parashat B’har: give and receive

Our weekly Portion opens with something astonishing. It says (Leviticus 25:2) that the Land will observe Shabbat (Shmita). This should immediately lead to the following questions: 1. What is Shmita doing so prominently in the Book of Leviticus, that...

May 6, 2018, 11:00 PM

Freedom in the land

This weeks parsha, Behar, is the only instance in which the word "Dror" meaning freedom appears in the entire text of the Torah. I have always found this frustrating because for me it seems like freedom is one of...

Sharona Margolin Halickman

May 3, 2018, 11:10 PM

Social Action originated in the Torah

In Parshat Behar, we see that activism dates back to the days of the Torah. During the Shmita (Sabbatical) year we are taught to have compassion for those who have less as ideally all of the fields should be...

May 3, 2018, 1:20 PM

We are what we do not own

The lake at Wohl Rose Garden, in Jerusalem. (Wikipedia)

The world and everything in it belong to God; people hold it in trust to use for good (Behar)

May 3, 2018, 1:12 PM

“The Sinai and the Negev” Parashat Behar 5778

Parashat Behar begins with one of the most famous verses in the entire Torah We all know that the Torah was given at Sinai and that Am Yisrael subsequently camped at the foot of the mountain for nearly...

Ariel Ben Avraham

Apr 29, 2018, 7:17 AM

Parshat Behar: Living life as the blessing of goodness (II)

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God.” (Leviticus 25:38) This verse is preceded by commandments related to living in the...

May 30, 2017, 5:34 PM

Can we give Trump a peace deal?

Peace in the world begins with a renewed commitment to helping the vulnerable, whether Jew or Arab, at home

William Hamilton

May 19, 2017, 8:57 PM

Why Jerusalem matters

In a 1929 letter the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem charged Albert Einstein and British Lord Melchett with having designs on the Mosque area atop the Temple Mount. “Palestine without the Temple is to the Jews like a body without...

Rachel Anisfeld

May 19, 2017, 8:11 PM

Parashat Behar-Behukotai: On Harmful Speech and Awe of God

It is easy to hurt someone with words. We do it all the time, in subtle and unsubtle ways, pointing out how another person is lacking in comparison to us, showing up their ignorance or incompetence, commenting on the...

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