Tag: Rambam

  • Quick Torah thought: Metzora

    Hi Friends, One quick Torah Thought inspired-by this week’s parsha, Metzorah: We again visit the topic of Tzaraat, an infliction of the surfaces of the house, property, clothes, and (eventually) body, as a punishment for speaking “Lashon HaRa” (“The evil tongue”). The Rambam explains that Lashon Hara, *true* gossip about someone, is more evil than…

  • Sanctuary, not Sacrifice

    This week we begin reading VaYikra (Leviticus), the Torah’s central book literally (3 of 5) and ethically. The sages say children should begin their learning not with Bereshit (Genesis, “In the beginning…”) but VaYikra, saying “Let the pure come and study purity” [1]. Rabbi Akiva says the core of Judaism is found in it, “You…

  • Fight the Weak

    Joey (name changed) twitches like a lovable toy robot dropped down the stairs a few too many times. The batteries are fully charged, but jerky movements let you know something’s loose inside. Still, his smile radiates with a shy glee and his eyes [reveal] a brain working overtime. It doesn’t tell him nice things. “I…

  • In the Image of the Creator

    I have been thinking a lot about hunger lately, because I’m often hungry here. The kosher meals, cheap TV dinners full of soy, sodium, and fillers, are calorie-short, even if you could eat all of them. They are frequently moldy or full of melted or broken bits of plastic. I kept a log for a…