Pinchas
Submitted by Rabbi Menachem Creditor [Berkeley, CA] on Sun, Jul 20, 2008
Rabbi Menachem Creditor
The great Israeli poet Chaim Nachman Bialik once said that reading a translation is like kissing through a veil. The beginning of Parashat Pinchas illustrates this quite clearly. And not only does the biblical Hebrew lose its power refracted into the vernacular, but even if the Hebrew of a handheld Chumash is consulted, there is much missing which can only be experienced by direct contact with the Torah scroll itself.
First the language. We read (translate) the following: read more »
Rabbi Menachem Creditor is rabbi of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA. He is also founder of ShefaNetwork: (The Conservative Movement Dreaming from Within), co-founder of KeshetRabbis (The Alliance of Gay-Friendly Conservative and Masorti Rabbis), and author of TheTisch, an electronic commentary on Jewish Spirituality. He is a popular speaker at synagogues, college campuses, and various communities on questions of Jewish Identity, Leadership, and Spirituality. As one half of Shirav, a Jewish folk-music group, he has spread passion, comfort, and joy to audiences around North America and Israel.
Submitted by Daniel M. Kimmel [Brookline, MA] on Wed, Jul 16, 2008
In Parshah Pinchas we find that doing things on time is important. “Command the Israelite people and say to them: Be punctilious in presenting to Me at stated times the offerings of food due Me, as gifts of pleasing odor to Me.” (Num. 28:2) Of course after the destruction of the Temples such sacrifices were no longer possible and were replaced by our daily prayer services. So how come showing up on time isn’t considered important? read more »
I'm a film critic in Boston (Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Variety, Jewish Advocate), lecturer (Suffolk University, private groups) and MC for the New England Region of the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs. My one paragraph drashes are for my brotherhood newsletter. You may use them for your own.
Submitted by Shoshana Michael Zucker [Kfar Saba, Israel] on Sun, Oct 7, 2007
A large part of this week's Torah reading is devoted to a description of the sacrifices. Each holiday has its special sacrifice and an additional sin offering. Sometimes this sin offering is referred to simply as a sin offering and sometimes it is referred to as a sin offering to atone for you.
Only concerning Rosh Chodesh (first of the Hebrew month) is it called "A sin offering of the Lord." read more »
A professional translator, wife and mother of three, I more a self-educated than a formally educated Jew. Most of my divrei torah are given in Hebrew but when I have time I do translate some.
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