37 Shelakh | Insights From The Weekly Torah Portion With Rabbi Jonathan by Rabbi Jonathan Kligler

36 Beha’alotekha | Insights From The Weekly Torah Portion With Rabbi Jonathan by Rabbi Jonathan Kligler

35 Naso | Insights From The Weekly Torah Portion With Rabbi Jonathan Kligler by Rabbi Jonathan Kligler

34 Bemidbar | Insights From The Weekly Torah Portion With Rabbi Jonathan by Rabbi Jonathan Kligler

33 Bekhukotai | Insights From The Weekly Torah Portion With Rabbi Jonathan by Rabbi Jonathan Kligler

As we reach the concluding chapters of Leviticus, we study the commandment of Shmita - that we must allow the land have a Sabbath every seventh year. Once again exploring the insights of Ellen Davis' "Scripture, Culture and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible" we discover the deep structure of the Biblical narrative. We begin to understand how our ancestors saw themselves as a part of the earth, not separate from it, but assigned by the Creator special responsibilities so that we might live in sustainable harmony with all of creation.

In her superb Torah commentary "Mending the Heart, Tending the Soul: Directions to the Garden Within, " Gail Albert describes the Book of Leviticus as instructions to answer the question "How do we behave when YHVH is living next door?" Emor focuses on the special requirements of the ancient priestly caste. Yet the Torah also insists that all of us are to become a "a holy people, nation of priests," (Exodus 19:6) so somehow the priestly requirements pertain to us all. How do we become a "nation of priests"? The answer of course requires us to behave ethically, but also to expand our consciousness so that we perceive the interconnectedness of all reality.

Utilizing the insights of Ellen Davis' fine study, "Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible" (Cambridge University Press, 2009) we explore the teachings of this portion from an embodied, holistic perspective. God charges us to become a holy people - what does that mean? How do we map "holiness" onto our bodies, our communities, our sanctuaries, and our environment in a way that connects them all and keeps us conscious of the connections? Reading in this way opens new understandings of the Torah's deep wisdom.

The Life And Teachings Of Kalonymus Kalman Shapira by Rabbi Jonathan Kligler

Passover Teachings With Rabbi Jonathan | Part II by Rabbi Jonathan Kligler