Days of Awe

This week begin the Days of Awe (or Days of Repentance) for the Jewish community.  This period spans ten days, starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur.  It is a time of introspection and of seeking reconciliation with people you have wronged.  See more at Judaism 101.

• Rosh Hashandah - 9/9/2010
• Yom Kippur - 9/23/2010

Leprosy, Acne, and Afterbirth

This week's Torah study, Parashah M'tzora, covers Leviticus 12:1 - 15:33.

Will it preach? Sure, especially if you are Rabbi Joe Rooks Rapport who is co-senior rabbi with his wife, Gaylia R. Rooks, at The Temple Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom in Louisville, Kentucky.

Enjoy the rabbi's humor and prepare to be surprised at what you'll learn. You can read the text but let me encourage you to listen instead.

Word of the Day

halakhah

The legal portions of the Talmud or any legal ruling according to Jewish law; halakhah is concerned with understanding the obligations placed on the believer by the biblical text.

From The Jewish Study Bible - Glossary - p. 2122, 2129

Torah Study

As a follow up to yesterday's post, if you're interested in doing Torah study with a rabbi, the Union for Reform Judaism offers commentary on the weekly parashah. To sample, click here.

What Is a Parashah?

A "parashah" is the weekly Torah portion that is read publicly in the synagogue so that all the Torah is covered during the course of the year. This past Sunday our church adult education class studied the opening chapters of Exodus. We are also in sync with the weekly Sabbath reading for next Sabbath when the reading is Shemot (the names), Exodus 1:1 - 6:1. In case you're interested, here are the weekly schedule and summary of each parashah. Specifically, here is the summary for Shemot.

What Jews Can Learn from the New Testament

Jewish scholar Martin Lockshin at My Jewish Learning writes about what Jews can learn from the New Testament. He writes: "It is a rich source of Jewish history, Jewish thought, Jewish law, and the history of anti-Semitism."

It is helpful to see how those outside the Christian faith tradition perceive the foundational documents of our faith. To read Martin's complete essay, click here.