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James Kennard
Jun 10, 20181 min read
Korach: The hypocrisy of the challengers
Rashi explains that there were many ideological strands to Korach’s rebellion against Moses’s leadership. One was a cry of egalitarianism...
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James Kennard
May 26, 20182 min read
Behalot'cha: Jewish History in Two Verses
Words that we sing with gusto as we take the Sefer Torah out of the Ark, and the conluding phrase that accompanies its return, have their...
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James Kennard
May 22, 20182 min read
Naso: Blessing with Love
We hear it from the Cohanim each Yom Tov (and every week, or even every day, in Israel and in some communities). Many parents say it to...
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James Kennard
May 14, 20182 min read
Shavuot - working for success
When Adam sinned in the garden of Eden, he was punished with the curse that: “thorns and thistles shall sprout for you…by the sweat of...
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James Kennard
May 5, 20183 min read
Behar: The Torah's Third Way
Article for Behar-Behukotai Is the Torah Socialist or Capitalist? Since the Torah is more than just a set of laws for private individual,...
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James Kennard
May 2, 20181 min read
Emor: Shabbat and the Festivals
Shabbat is mentioned several times in the Torah in relation to many key moments in the life of the Jewish people, including the creation...
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James Kennard
Apr 23, 20182 min read
Kedoshim: How to be holy
“Be Holy!” is the stark command that introduces the parashah of Kedoshim. But the Torah leaves unanswered the question of how precisely...
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James Kennard
Apr 17, 20182 min read
Tazria-Metzora: Existence and Torah
At the start of the parasha of Tazria, Rashi comments that this sedra contains the laws of tumah and taharah (“impurity and purity”) as...
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James Kennard
Mar 18, 20181 min read
Tzav: The unity of start and finish
The meal-offering which the High Priest is commanded to offer twice each day is described as having the volume of "a tenth of an ephah...
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James Kennard
Mar 10, 20183 min read
Vayikra: Why sacrifices?
Why do we need sacrifices? This is the question most commonly asked when studying the sedra of Vayikra today. The types of offerings...
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James Kennard
Mar 3, 20182 min read
Vayakhel: The limits of individualism
It was the most remarkable fundraising event in Jewish history. Not only was the collection of materials for the construction of the...
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James Kennard
Feb 28, 20181 min read
Ki Tisa: Leadership Demands Strong Action
Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsch observes that Moshe first destroyed the Golden Calf, and only then turned to Aharon with the question "what...
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