I do not think that my teacher meant this remark to be funny, but I think he was saying a lot with his remark. I am reminded of it often when I see people who do not study the Torah and know little about it, kiss the Torah when it is brought from the ark [...]
The following is a brief version of an excerpt from “Beyond the Bible Text” by Rabbi Dr. Stanley Wagner and me that was published in September 2013. We usually put three articles for each biblical portion, generally discussing thought-provoking subjects that people will not find elsewhere. This week’s essay is from lech lecha (chapters 12:1-17:27) [...]
By Israel Drazin Samson Raphael Hirsh, Abraham ibn Ezra, Arnold Ehrlich, and Maimonides have what some people might consider unusual even surprising interpretations of the biblical portion Shemini, Leviticus 9:1-11:47, such as the following. Abraham ibn Ezra, Samson Raphael Hirsh, and many others noted that the Torah uses the numbers seven [...]
