This week's parsha
Unless otherwise noted, "This week's Parsha" comprises articles taken from contributors to the Chabad.org website. We show the original author's name here, so that proper attribution is given. For the sake of brevity, footnotes cited in the original author's writings are omitted from this website. If you need to see the citations, please refer to the original articles on the Chabad.org website.
The Holy Tourist
Backpacking Europe with a friend, we were embarrassed by the behavior of the tour groups with whom we would occasionally cross paths.
No, I’m not talking drunken soccer hooligans on the rampage. True, they were irritating, but this was worse. Lager louts may act in a herd-like fashion, drinking and fighting en masse, but they do exhibit some degree of autonomy through those tiny minds.
What provoked our outrage and disdain were the organized tour groups. Dressed identically, even down to those annoying fluorescent hats, decanted off and on those gargantuan buses at the will of their guide, clustering into overpriced tourist traps to buy identical teaspoon sets, postcards and other useless merchandise—we wondered why they bothered coming at all.
When the Ghetto Walls Crumbled
Once upon a time, you told a kid what to do, and the kid did exactly as told. The transmission of Judaism and Jewish practice from generation to generation was a simple process: Parents told their child, "This is what we do and this is what we don't do," and the child obediently complied.
Our ancestors lived in a physical ghetto, there was nowhere to go, and in a psychological ghetto, there were no other real options to choose from.
Education was a simple process.
Sages and Saints
As mentioned in a previous Covenant and Conversation, there was an ongoing debate between the sages as to whether the nazirite -- whose laws are outlined in today's parsha -- was to be praised or not. Recall that the nazirite was someone who voluntarily, usually for a specified period, undertook a special form of holiness. This meant that he was forbidden to consume wine or any grape products, to have a haircut and to defile himself by contact with the dead.
In our thoughts
Search
Supporters
Please show your gratitude by supporting them.
Kiddush Club
Wanted: Kiddush Club sponsors
If you are celebrating a special occasion (birthday, anniversary, yahrzeit) and want to share it with the community, why not consider sponsoring a Kiddush Club Event?
Nice to know
Upcoming Events
Use the Kiddush Club Request Form (see menu) to publicize your upcoming simcha or yahrzeit by sponsoring a Shabbat kiddush.