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 Scapegoat

Published: 07 April 2014 | Written by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

The strangest element of the service on Yom Kippur, set out in Acharei Mot, was the ritual of the two goats, one offered as a sacrifice, the other sent away into the desert "to Azazel." They were brought before the High Priest, to all intents and purposes indistinguishable from one another: they were chosen to be as similar as possible to one another in size and appearance. Lots were drawn, one bearing the words "To the L‑rd," the other, "To Azazel." The one on which the lot "To the L‑rd" fell was offered as a sacrifice. Over the other the High Priest confessed the sins of the nation and it was then taken away into the desert hills outside Jerusalem where it plunged to its death. Tradition tells us that a red thread would be attached to its horns, half of which was removed before the animal was sent away. If the rite had been effective, the red thread would turn to white.

Four Reasons Why You Should Gossip

Published: 31 March 2014 | Written by Levi Avtzon

Reason #1:

The media and tabloids have taught us that it is our patriotic duty, enshrined in the "freedom of speech" clause of our Constitution, to shine a bright light on our neighbor's dirty laundry. No, there is no such thing as privacy; your life is my life, and your mistake is my appetizer. Of course, I must know why she got divorced from her third marriage, plus all the details on the custodial war between them regarding the two-year-old psycho in the middle.

In short: We spend most of our day learning from the media. And they are awesome teachers.

Spiritual Birth

Published: 24 March 2014 | Written by Tali Loewenthal

Every detail in our human world has a parallel on a spiritual plane. The key relationship among human beings is the joining of man and woman in marriage. With Divine help, marriage leads to the birth of children, boys and girls.

In various sections of the Bible the image of marriage is used to describe the relationship of the Jewish people with G-d. Most famous among these is King Solomon's Song of Songs. The beautiful woman in the Song of Songs is the Jewish people, who has a complex relationship with G-d: sometimes far away from Him, sometimes drawing close. The Prophet Isaiah also uses similar imagery.

Our parshah opens with a passage about a woman giving birth to a child: "When a woman gives seed and bears a son." This passage is usually explained in straightforward literal terms. If it is a boy, the child must be circumcised, and whether a boy or a girl, the mother brings an offering to the Temple, usually two doves. She brings the offering after forty days if the child is a boy, and after eighty days if it is a baby girl. These doves were the most popular offerings brought to the Temple in Jerusalem.