Post A Purim Primer WHEN: Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar. In a leap year, in which an additional month of Adar is added, Purim is celebrated in Adar Bet, the second… Read More
Post Alien Fire: the Sin of Nadab and Abihu The Torah describes the death of Nadab and Abihu, the two eldest of Aaron’s four sons, as a punishment for bringing “alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them”… Read More
Post Are Locusts Really Kosher? The Torah prohibits eating insects, referring to them as “an abomination”: All winged swarming things that walk on fours shall be an abomination for you. Leviticus 11:20 Given that the… Read More
Post Atoning For Unintentional Sins The book of Leviticus begins with a discussion of the korbanot, or sacrifices, that were brought in the Tabernacle and Temple. One of these sacrifices was called the korban chatat,… Read More
Post Beginning a Child’s Education with Leviticus The books of Genesis and Exodus are narratives, telling the stories of the Creation until the Exodus. Though these are fascinating tales that seem like prime material to tell children,… Read More
Post Being Chosen and Keeping Kosher Jews have historically been separated from the other nations by our myriad and complex dietary requirements. This includes both how the food is prepared and the limits on which animals… Read More
Post Circumcision: Becoming Part of God’s Covenant Leviticus commands that each Jewish male become a part of the covenant with God by removing his foreskin: On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised…. Read More
Post Fins and Scales: Kosher Fish Make You Righteous Leviticus introduces the classifications of clean and unclean meat. It contains laws regarding not only land animals, but anything edible that comes from the sea as well. The rules for… Read More
Post How Do We Determine Which Birds Are Kosher? Leviticus provides four categories of permitted and forbidden foods. Animals are defined by a rule; split hooves and chewing cud signify a kosher animal. Similarly, aquatic life that is permitted… Read More
Post Karent: Cut Off from God Taking part in the sacrifices required scrupulous adherence to the laws, and failure to do so carried a stiff punishment. The punishment, called karet, is the most severe in the… Read More