05-22-2025 Torah Commentary

Memoriam

Our hearts go out to the families of Yaron Lischinsky  ״זֹל, and Sarah Milgrim ״זֹל. They were senselessly  gun down on the streets of Washington, DC at the  prime of their lives. It is time that the plague of  antisemitism is brought to a halt.

This week, as we bring our yearly reading of the Book of  Leviticus toward its conclusion, we read a double Torah  portion. The first one is called B’Har. It is the penultimate  section of the Book of Leviticus, and it can be found in  Leviticus 25:1-26:2. The second is called “B’Chukotay.”  You will find it in the Book of Leviticus 26:3-27:34.  

The first parashah, B’Har deals with issues of ownership:  ownership of property and ownership of time. The text  takes us from the practical, who owns what? to the  theoretical: what do we owe to our community? Where do  our individual rights end and our responsibilities begin?  Do I own my own time or because I am part of a group  larger than myself, what do I owe my community? 

From Leviticus’ perspective our responsibilities are not only to ourselves, but to our community, to the land, to G-d  and to time that we are allotted on this earth. Thus, we are  not free to pick our own Sabbaths, but rather all Israel  must make the seventh day holy. Through this communal  ownership of time, we transform Saturday from merely  another day into a “cathedral of time.” Reading Leviticus, it  becomes clear that it opposes the “cult of individualism”  and instead seeks to balance individual needs with those  of the community. 

Our second parashah, B’Chukotay is the book’s final  section. Although this section deals with a number of  issues, one theme seems to dominate: The idea of G-d in  history. In Leviticus 26:3 we read “Im b’chukotai telchu  v’im mitzvotai tishmru va’asitem otam/If you walk in  (follow) My laws and keep (watch over) My commandments and you do them…” The basic theme  here is a political or historical tit-for-tat. The text seems to  be saying that if you follow G-d’s laws then goodness will  come, but if you choose not to, then evil will be the outcome. It is not clear if the text wants us to understand it  literally or figuratively. Is the text teaching us that we might not like our obligations to others, but society only  exists through our actions rather than our intentions? Is  the text teaching us that we need to serve others simply  because it is the right thing to do? Is the Torah portion  warning us about an age such as ours where “feelings”  overwhelm facts, where adults often act as children, and  where politicians do what is best for themselves rather  than for the nation?  

These two parashyiot (weekly sections), and to a great  extent the entire Book of Leviticus teach us to live in a  world where we do not always get our way and going  beyond the ‘I” and coming to understand the needs of the  “we”. This careful balance between the “I” and the “we”,  the personal versus the common good is found throughout  the Biblical text. Leviticus teaches us that greatness is not  measured always by what we say or feel, but in the end by  what we do. 

What do you think? Are you stuck in a world of the “I” or  can you move into the world of the “we”? 

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The Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies Announces 35th  Annual Conference Los Angeles, August 10-12, 2025. 

For more information contact:

Conference Chair Corinne J. Brown    jb.corinne@gmail.com 

ֿThe 35th annual conference of the Society for Crypto-Judaic  Studies (SCJS) titled “Identities and Experiences: Navigating the  Crypto-Jewish Journey” will be held from Sunday, August 10  through Tuesday, August 12, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.  The event offers a rich and diverse experience with a blend of  academic presentations, panels, cultural events, and networking  opportunities, designed for both scholars and enthusiasts of  crypto-Judaic history and traditions. Registration is now open. 

Conference sessions as well as meals and evening events  will take place at the historic Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel,  10500 Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles. Accommodations for out-of town registrants are offered at the nearby Kimpton Hotel Palomar  Los Angeles-Beverly Hills; hotel reservations are now available at  a group rate via the direct link on the SCJS website,  http://cryptojews.com.: