Tag: Temple

  • Boundaries & Birds

    Hi Friends, Hello from FCI Miami where the geese and birds had babies and are training them around the lake. It’s pretty cute, and an unexpected joy to watch. A few quick Torah thoughts for this week: I’ve been learning Bava Bathra (Basra), a tractate of Talmud that deals largely with architectural & civil planning…

  • 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…

  • If you build it…

    Hi Friends, A few quick Torah thoughts… In this and last week’s Torah portions, YaYakhel and Pikudei, G-d tells Moses to have the people build the Mishkan, Tabernacle, a traveling Temple that our Rabbis explain was a “home for G-d” to convene with the Jewish people until we built the Temple in Jerusalem, a model…

  • Chanukah Decorations at Glass House

    Rubinstein’s got a tinsel Magen David hanging over the entrance to his cubby, and a “Happy Hanukah” (Well, “Happ_ Hanu_ah”… key letters missing) decoration across his front wall. He’s recruiting others. He asked me earlier, “Do you want Hanukkah decorations?” I thought he was trolling me. Where do you get Chanukah decorations in prison? I…