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Rabbi's Torah
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Rabbi Marc Kline’s thoughts and views on this week’s Parashah!
We find ourselves amid the Census. Who would think that trying to find out who is here would be so controversial? Isn’t a person – a person? On the face, it seems that any attempt to limit the nature of who gets counted would be unfair – perhaps even bigoted. In many cases, this presumption […]
A great sigh of relief emanates from synagogues all over the world. We finish the Book of Leviticus. Rule after rule, regulation after regulation – sometimes sordid and often too steeped in agrarian minutiae for most people’s tastes. The Yeshivas love the text. Given that our training calls us to read nothing in Torah literally, […]
God was not in thunderous winds. God is not in the earthquake. God was not in the destructive fire. Where is God? God is in the Kol Demama; the Still Small Voice. Our nation is aching right now. The pandemic and all of the ill attached to it, the economic, educational, and spiritual poverty that […]
I love my Tuesday morning group. In looking at this week’s Torah portion, in a variety of ways, several wanted to know the difference between religious, faith, and holy. Of course, I loved the question because I often say that I am not sure how religious I am, but I am a man of devout […]
I remember my late Grandma Bessie. We used to call her “Hurricane Bess.” She was short and round and spoke in ways that could make a sailor blush – and she was an incredible grandma. What Yiddish I know – I learned from her. I can’t use any of it in public. She had a […]
Let’s call this “Shmini part 2.” Last week, I chose to write on a piece of this portion, even though the text for Passover Shabbat was about a five verse excerpt back in Exodus. I knew that I had too many thoughts on this portion to handle in one piece, so I took a little […]
In the midst of Passover, we face a new sense of bondage. COVID-19 holds each of us hostage to our homes. For the first time in many of our lives, Jews are unable to share this family-oriented holiday in person. This holiday celebrates liberation past, present, and future. Typically, we invite strangers to our table, […]
Doctors say that one should eat a good breakfast. It stays with you and gives you the energy to burn throughout the day. While the long term impact of breakfast may vary person to person, starting each day on a “good note” works. Too often, though, even if we start the day positively, it is usually […]
Sacrifice – to give up the personal ownership or enjoyment of something personal for a greater (sacred) ideal. Biblically, the literal text speaks of an offering on an altar, ostensibly to God. This week, in opening the Book of Leviticus, we meet the Tabernacle’s sacrificial cult. We read about the different “sacrifices” that God instructs […]
General Colin Powell taught us, “Always focus on the front windshield and not the review mirror.” All State Insurance Company runs a commercial where their driver “Mayhem” badly tailgates the car in front of him. He so distracts the driver of the other car that the front car rams ppl the back of a truck, […]