THREE KINDS OF HOLINESS This week’s parasha deals with the three different types of holiness we find in Judaism: holiness of the person, holiness in time, and holiness in space. The first two portions of the sidra outline the special responsibilities on the Cohen. Whom may he marry? Under what circumstances may he go to the cemetery? What are additional responsibilities upon the Cohen Gadol, the High Priest? What could disqualify him from serving as a Priest? The holiness of the person is explored in this section. Much of the central section of the parasha will be familiar as the...

STAY HOME, SAVE A LIFE Time and again in this coronavirus pandemic, our political leaders have said that social distancing is vital so as ‘not to overwhelm the NHS.’ In plain terms, that means that we want to avoid the nightmare scenario when there are insufficient resources to meet the needs of those who require critical attention. Agonising choices would have to be made as to who should be treated. At the beginning of the pandemic, an article appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine spelling out some of the ethical challenges a pandemic might bring. When there are...