Chapter 18 of the Book of Vayikra contains a number of negative mitzvot — things we are not supposed to do. Many of the negative actions are labeled to’evot — an interesting … more

I once gave a lecture on the ethical challenges of the seventh commandment (“Thou shalt not steal”). Afterwards, I was approached by a fellow from Vienna who was a Shoah … more

Parashat Acharei Mot, known as the parasha of Yom Kippur, focuses upon the manner of observing this Yom Tov in the Mishkan and Beit HaMikdash. One of the many constitutive elements of a Beit … more

If we put together recent discoveries in neuroscience with Midrashic tradition, we may be able to shed new light on the meaning of the central mystery of Parshat Acharei Mot: the two goats, … more

There is much that the Torah leaves to our imagination. Regular students of the weekly Torah portion soon become convinced that the narratives they read each week are deliberately abbreviated, as … more

One of the most celebrated mitzvot of our parasha is “v’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha” — “and you shall love your fellow like yourself” (Vayikra 19:18). … more

Something fundamental happens at the beginning of Kedoshim, and the story is one of the greatest, if rarely acknowledged, contributions of Judaism to the world. Until now, Vayikra has been … more

I love visiting residences for senior citizens. For one thing, being around truly older people invariably helps me feel young by comparison. Recently, I was a weekend guest scholar at such a … more

One of the more strange rituals discussed in Kedoshim is the Molech. There is a debate as to what it was and what purpose it served, but this is how the Torah begins the instructions concerning … more

Recently, on a Pesach program, an elderly gentleman named Yaakov Gross asked a few of us if he could speak before the Yizkor service. He wanted to share the story of his bar mitzvah in the … more