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March 7, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- The Secrets of the Torah There is something strange in the first word of this week’s Torah portion Vayikra, which also is the Hebrew namesake of the fourth book of the Torah called Leviticus. The final letter, the aleph, is smaller than the other letters. Why is that? Is it a typo, a scribal error? Or is there something more to this aleph ze-ira (small aleph) than simply its small stature, something that hints at the secrets embedded within each word and each letter of the Torah. We’ll figure it out together during this week’s class.
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : alef aleph balaam humble humility k'dushat levi k'li yakar k'li yaqar kedushat levi keli yakar keli yaqar leviticus moses secrets small vayikra
February 28, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
2014/5774 (Triennial I): Keeping Track of What's Important We make lists of all sorts of things, from home supplies, to daily tasks, to a "bucket" list of what we want to do in life. Yet aren't there times when it feels like writing down or keeping track of all of those lists are just a burden? Wouldn't it be better if sometimes we didn't have to worry about keeping track of things? This week's Torah portion of P'kudei might give us some interesting insight on the spiritual component of keeping track of what's important and how to manage the important tasks of our day. Photo by Chris Freeland on Flickr -[...]
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : accounting lists online learning online parashah class p'kudei parsha pekudei
February 14, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
This Week's Online Parashah Class: Parashat Ki Tissa -- From Cannabis To Shabbos: Does Judaism Embrace or Control Our Desires? 2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- From Cannabis To Shabbos: Does Judaism Embrace or Control Our Desires? Religion is often seen as a "conservative" movement that focuses its efforts on restricting our behaviors. However, is it possible that religion actually helps us embrace our desires rather than trying to make them go away? Should we make use of all there is to offer in this world, or are[...]
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : desires incense ki tisa ki tissa marijuana online learning online parashah class parsha shabbat song of songs weekly torah portion yetzer hara yetzer hatov
February 7, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- The Torah's View of Brotherly Love In the Bible, brothers often don't get along. Cain killed Abel, Jacob stole Esau's birthright, and Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. But are there more positive examples than these negative portrayals of sibling rivalry? Using wisdom from this week's Torah portion, Parashat T'tzaveh, and some teachings from the midrash, we will take a look at how the Torah does relate a positive example of brotherly love by way of the relationship between Moses and Aaron and what their example can teach us about what it means to have a positive relationship with our siblings. Photo courtesy of Jim Hammer on[...]
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : aaron brotherly love moses online learning online parashah class parsha siblings t'tzaveh tetzaveh weekly torah portion
January 31, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
2014/5774 (Triennial I): The Light of Lamps and The Bread of Tables In the first third of this week's Torah portion (Exodus 25:1-40), we learn about the building of the ark, the table, and the lamp of the tabernacle (in that order). It makes sense that the ark should have been written first, but why does the table come before the lamp? Is one more important than the other? And is there a lesson to be found in this about human nature and good and evil? Check out this week's Online Parashah Class to find out! Classes from other years... Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : ark good and evil lamps online learning online parashah class parsha shewbread t'rumah tabernacle teruma terumah יצר הטוב יצר הרע
January 17, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- Getting "Buy In" Any successful leader or organization needs the people they serve or emply to "buy in" to the vision they are selling or promoting. Without that buy in, where's the motivation to do the work and to do it together? The same holds true for Moses -- was he able to get buy in from his leaders and from the people to promote the values of the Torah? What's more, how can we who live so many thousands of years after the Revelation of Torah buy into what the Torah is selling? We will discuss these questions and more during today's online parashah class
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : buy in delegate God leadership mission moses online learning online parashah class parsha weekly torah portion yitro
January 10, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- Parashat B'shalah: How Do We and God Interact in this World?
Parashat B'shalah, with it's famous story of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, seems to teach us how God can come down to the human world and save human beings, like the Israelites. Yet towards the beginning of the parashah in Exodus 13:8, the Torah teaches us that the Isralites left Egypt "armed" (hamushim) -- why would they need to be armed if God was going to save them from the Egyptians? Shouldn't they just have had faith without the need to physically protect themselves? Or does God want us to protect ourselves before stepping[...]
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : armed b'shalach b'shalah b'shallach beshalach beshallach exodus God hamushim interact israelites joseph joshua learning online learning online parashah class parsha pharaoh rabbi arieh trugman souls weekly torah portion
January 3, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Last week's Online Parashah Class: Parashat Bo 2014/5774 (Triennial I) -- Pharaoh’s Egypt: By the People, For the People? By most accounts, the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt were God-like figures who had God-like powers over their subjects. Yet, in our Parashah which describes the last moments before the Israelites are freed from Egypt, it seems that the people have a little more power than you’d expect under Pharaoh’s rule. Is this example of populous pressure a hint of the move towards more popular centered rule, like democracy? Classes from other years... (2013/5773) Triennial III -- Leaving in Haste: On the Israelites Being Freed From Egypt
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : democracy egypt israelites online learning online parashah class parasha parsha people pharaoh populist revolution torah weekly torah portion
December 27, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
2013/5774 (Triennial I) -- Where Does Aaron Come From? Where Does Torah Come From? The Torah is clear that Aaron, Moses' older brother (Exodus 7:7) is an important character in the Exodus story. But when does he appear on the scene? If he was older than Moses, how was he born when all male Israelite children were being killed? Perhaps by learning where Aaron comes from we can learn a little bit about where the Torah comes from.
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : online learning online parashah class parashah parashat parsha vaera
December 20, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
2013/5774 (Triennial I) -- The Meaning of the Name "Moses" Moses is arguably the most famous man in the entire Bible and his name means so much to so many people. Yet where did his name come from? Is it Egyptian or is it Hebrew? Does it speak about his birth or the life he will live? We will discuss these issues along with a larger conversation about the meaning of names we give to one another in anticipation to tonight's Friday Night Service -- What's In A Name to be held at Beth Mordecai at 8 pm Classes from other years... (2013/5773) Triennial III -- Israel as God's Children --[...]
Category : Online Learning Online Parashah Class Tag : children egyptian exodus God hebrew israel moses online parashah class parsha parshah sh'mot shemot weekly torah portion