by RabbiOlivier | May 18, 2019 | Torah Reflections
Knowing God vs Playing God Emor: Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23 The beginning verses in this week’s Torah portion are rather challenging to our current understanding of spirituality. They define an impossibly strict code of holiness for the priestly caste. In reading...
by RabbiOlivier | May 10, 2019 | Torah Reflections
The Pursuit of Holiness Kedoshim: Leviticus 19:1 – 20:27 The Eternal One spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the entire Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God, am holy. [Lev. 19:1-2] Most rabbinic and scholarly...
by RabbiOlivier | Apr 19, 2019 | Torah Reflections
Mandatory Generosity at Our Seder Tonight, at our first Passover Seder, we will begin telling the story of our exodus from Egypt raising the matzah and saying in one voice: Ha lachma anya… This is the bread of affliction, the bread of simplicity, which our ancestors...
by RabbiOlivier | Apr 12, 2019 | Torah Reflections
Metzora Leviticus 14:1 – 15:33 The Liberating Power of Generosity This week marks the beginning of our Passover preparation. This spring cleaning is both an outer process of emptying our homes of the forbiddenchametz (product made of leavened wheat, barley, rye,...
by RabbiOlivier | Mar 29, 2019 | Torah Reflections
Sh’mini Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47 What is God’s Will For Me? Why Are We Here? Growing up, I always had difficulties, with the concept of “doing God’s will” that my rabbis often spoke of. Somehow, I was supposed to do “God’s will” in all my daily...
