Do Jews Believe in Sin?
To the fire-and-brimstone types, the word smells of shame and scorched flesh. To the hedonist it sounds like fun. Some think it's a wholly Christian concept while others ascribe it to the ancient Hebrews. To the sages of the Talmud, it is, above all, an act of profound stupidity.
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Infinity in Disguise
Perhaps it's one of those forbidden questions. Perhaps it just breaks too many assumptions. But we'll ask it anyway: Have the properties of light changed over the centuries? Has the power of gravity weakened with time? Has matter become less material? Everything else decays and passes over time, but the basic forces of nature stand constant and unchanging. When you turn it over a few times and rub it between your fingers, everything in our world turns out to contain something of the infinite.
The Gift
Early that Friday afternoon, when no one was likely to be in the synagogue, the man brought in the loaves under his cloak. He prayed and cried that G-d should look upon his offering with favor, and eat and enjoy the lovely, freshly baked bread. He went on and on, like an errant son begging his father for forgiveness. Then he placed the loaves in the Holy Ark beneath the Torah scrolls, and quickly left for home.
Digging Wells
You knock at heaven's door, and give your name. The entire court, all of them noble souls, makes way to form a corridor as you walk, breathless, toward the throne. They bring out maps--the charts of Creation--to verify whether your journey corresponds to Heaven's design.
You explain that rather than reaching up for the Divine, you went further down instead, digging wells, only to find that the waters down there have the same blueness of which the heavens are made. You go on to describe how, by digging deep below, you extended the distance between the heavens and the earth; you established an outpost, thus promoting a vigorous circulation between the heavens and the new frontier.
The Truth About the Baal Shem Tov
Judaism begins with the most mystical of experiences at Mount Sinai, where we "saw the sounds and heard the sights", and ends with mystical union of all of Creation with its Creator. Everything in between is driven by the drive to absorb the first mystical revelation in order to achieve the final one.
Chapter One
Moses received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Joshua. Joshua gave it over to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gave it over to the Men of the Great Assembly. The [Men of the Great Assembly] would say three things: Be cautious in judgement. Establish many pupils. And make a safety fence around the Torah.
Naso
Numbers 4:21 - 7:89
Week of June 11 - 17, 2000
IN A NUTSHELL
Completing the census of the Children of Israel taken in the Sinai Desert one year after the Exodus, a total of 8,580 Levite men between the ages of 30 and 50 are counted in a tally of those who will be doing the actual work of transporting the Sanctuary.
G-d communicates to Moses the law of the Sotah, the wayward wife suspected of unfaithfulness to her husband. Also given is the law the Nazirite who forswears wine, lets his or her hair grow long, and is forbidden to become contaminated through contact with a dead body. Aaron and his descendents the Kohanim are instructed on how to bless the people of Israel.
The leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel each bring their offerings for the dedication of the altar. Although their gifts are identical, each is brought on a different day and is individually described by the Torah.
Click for full parshah summary with selections from the Midrash, Talmud and the Commentaries
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Each week Camp Gan Israel concentrates on a different theme: Jewish holidays, Israel, Mitzvot, with special daily activities that emphasize the weekly motif.
"We believe in a real hands-on and authentic experience," explains camp co-director Rabbi Yosef Deren.
THE REBBE: 50 YEARS
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