COUNT DOWN OR COUNT UP? This Shabbat is the 39th day of the Omer. Nearly six of the seven weeks from Pesach to Shavuot have passed. The Sefer HaChinuch (Spain 13th cent.) poses an obvious question. If the Omer count represents the time that the Israelites, having left Egypt, anticipated receiving the Torah on Mt Sinai, why do we count up? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to count down? 40 days until Shavuot…39, 38, 37… He quotes Maimonides (d.1204) who compares the Omer count to two people, deeply in love, who have been parted. They are eagerly counting off the...

IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID This phrase, from Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 US Presidential election campaign is likely to be heard often over the coming weeks as the starting gun has been shot for our own general election. The challenge of constructing an economic system that will both protect the poor and incentivize the rich is thousands of years old. The Torah makes no pretentions to being an economic textbook but many mitzvot – a number of which are found in this week’s parasha – recognize the need to balance social justice with economic opportunity. The first section of the parasha...

HONOURING G-D AND HONOURING WOMEN Two commands in this week’s parasha go to the core of what it means to be a Jew: “Do not profane My holy name – that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites.” (Vayikra 22:23) What does it mean to sanctify or desecrate G-d’s name? The late Rabbi Lord Sacks explained that a “name” is how we are known to others. G-d’s “name” is therefore His standing in the world. Do people acknowledge Him? Do people respect Him? Do people honour Him? The commands of kiddush HaShem (sanctifying G-d’s Name) and chillul...

SELF HELP Tzedaka or Charity is a cornerstone of Judaism. But equally important is how it is administered. In this week’s parasha we learn that when a farmer harvested his crop, he was obliged to leave a corner of the field (known as pe’ah) for the poor. When he came to reap the grain, if one or two stalks fell to the ground, they were left for the poor. That was called leket. And stray sheaves that were forgotten and left in the field were also the property of the poor (called shichecha.) In times when agriculture was the mainstay...

HIGH STANDARDS To be a Kohen Gadol or High Priest was one of the most challenging roles in all of the Jewish religion. There were demands made of him that did not apply to anyone else in the community. Whereas a regular priest could not marry a woman who had been divorced, a High Priest could only marry a woman who had never been married before. A regular priest would step down from his duties in the wake of a bereavement. He could attend the funeral for one of the seven close relatives: parent, sibling, child and spouse. By contrast,...