What is the Qumran Calendar?
Question: In a recent class about the Jewish calendar, someone mentioned that the Qumran community followed a different calendar. What was it, and why did it matter? Answer: The Jewish calendar […]
When Everyone Is Prompted
Parashat Ki Tavo describes one of the Torah’s most beautiful ceremonies: the bringing of bikkurim, the first fruits, to the Temple in Jerusalem. The farmer would bring a basket of […]
“You May Not Hide Yourself”: The Torah’s Call to Ethical Responsibility
Parashat Ki Teitzei contains more mitzvot than any other parashah in the Torah—traditionally counted as seventy-four. Its commandments cover an astonishing range of life: the laws of warfare; the […]
The Torah-Reading King: Power That Must Remain Accountable
Parashat Shoftim is concerned with the question of authority. It introduces judges and officers, priests and Levites, prophets, and finally the king. In each case, the Torah is not […]