TINW Torah Study

This week's Torah Portion contains the phrase, "Love your neighbor like yourself." This simple line has become one of the principle laws of Judaism, as is pointed out by sages as prominent as Hillel, Akiva and even Jesus Christ! And these are the words that are above the ark in our own sanctuary. This week we take a look at what the phrase truly means.

Last week the Jewish world paused for Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah. Rabbi Jaech discussed with us the different ways we, has human beings, try to grapple with such an atrocity. And the fact that, sometimes, silence is all that humans can handle.

Rabbi Janet Roberts led our group in a discussion about how the Bible, written thousands of years ago, remains the basis for opinion rendered today about legal or ethical considerations.

From an April 9 session led jointly by Professor David Sperling and Rabbi Jaech, we look at the origins of the festival of Passover and how the universal story of liberation from bondage continues to have relevance today!

The Bible is a misogynistic text. This week we looked at ancient texts from other cultures that were similarly misogynistic—it was a cultural norm. In the Western world today we like to think that we have moved beyond that. But have we really? And what can we do to do better?

Most traditional Jews will not eat pork, a dietary prohibition that can be found in the book of Leviticus. And even some non-religious Jews, who might eat lobster or shrimp, will not eat pork. Why is the prohibition against eating pork one that has endured for so many Jewish people?

Ivan Boesky. Michael Milken. Bernie Madoff. These Jewish people became fabulously wealthy and were known for their philanthropic donations—and they fell hard from their rarefied positions when the crimes behind their financial successes were revealed. What do we think about people who made their money in dubious ways, and then use those funds to try to gain favor? This week Rabbi Jaech led us on an exploration of what Jewish wisdom has to say about donations that may have come from dubious sources. 

The Hasidic movement was started in what is now Ukraine. Urkraine has a long, rich, and varied history of Jewry. This week, Rabbi Janet Roberts led us on an exploration of origins of the Hasidic movement.

Biblical tales of ruling Israelite queens tell us about unsavory, dangerous women. However, it is possible that these ruling women were actually very capable leaders. Today we learned about a 1st century BCE Judean queen who may have been an example of a successful woman leader.

The Torah tell us, in no uncertain terms, that working and/or kindling a fire on shabbat is a violation of God's law that is punishable by death! But shabbat is also supposed to be a time when we celebrate and honor God. How can you celebrate and honor God if you are sitting in the dark and have no food—or only cold food—to eat?