"And you shall be holy"
This week’s parashah is Parashat Kedoshim, known as the “Holiness Code.” In it, we are instructed to ourselves be holy, for God is holy. We’re not left, though, with just this vague command – the rest of the parashah contains many specific ways in which we can fulfill this important yet seemingly impossible demand. While some of the elements of this “Holiness Code” might seem fairly removed from our typical ideas of “holiness” (not wearing cloth from a mixture of two kinds of material, for example, or not eating the fruit of newly planted trees for the first four years), many of the mitzvot we read about in this parashah concern interpersonal relationships, and how we as a community look out for one another. “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap the corner of your field…you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger,” we read. We are taught to judge our neighbors fairly, to pay laborers prompt wages, to not insult the deaf nor place stumbling blocks before the blind. In short, we are taught to treat others in our society – regardless of our relationship to them, regardless of who they are or what they do – with the utmost dignity and respect.
WRJ-Israel: The View From Within
By Resa S. Davids WRJ-Israel came into being in Jerusalem on March 19, 2009. I had arranged a luncheon for women to be held during the WUPJ International Convention in order to strengthen the women’s track of workshops and to encourage more Israeli women to participate in the convention. Previously, I had visited 15 congregations which were affiliated with the Israel Movement for Reform &Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) in order to encourage them to consider establishing women’s groups. Goals and activities for each of these women’s groups were just in the early stages of talking and dreaming. There was no clear definition of what could or would happen as the women’s groups began to meet. I invited the women in these groups, together with women leaders from around the world who were attending the Convention, to come together for this luncheon. During the event, I welcomed Rosanne Selfon, president of WRJ at the time. Suddenly I heard myself presenting the 40 Israeli women in the room to her as a new Israeli national organization which would be connected with WRJ and would be known as WRJ-Israel. There was no advance planning, no voting by the WRJ Board, no voting by the women in the room. It just seemed like a good idea at the time!
Voices of WRJ: Parashat Tazria-M’tzora
WRJ Centennial Trip: The Fifth Question
These are the Names of the Women of Reform Judaism
“Eleh sh’mot b'nai Yisrael – These are the names of the children of Israel.” (Exodus 1:1)The text then goes on to name only the male children of Israel: Reuben, Simeon and Judah… but there is no mention of the female children of Israel. There definitely were many female children of Israel who were there but the opening of Exodus doesn't see fit to mention them. The Biblical text seems to be telling us that: “girls don't matter. Pharaoh also believes that “girls don’t matter” as he commands the Hebrew midwives to kill only the Israelite boys as soon as they are born. Pharaoh is willing to let the Israelite girls live because they pose no threat. Pharoah, like so many others before and since, greatly underestimates the leadership strength of Jewish women.
Voices for WRJ: Parashat Sh’mini
Contemporary Reflection on Parashat Sh’mini
Voices for WRJ: Miriam: Celebration and Sacred Connection
Editors' Note: This d'var Torah is part of a series that was written by WRJ executive committee member Cynthia Roosth Wolf for adaptation and use by sisterhoods/women's groups during the 2013 WRJ Centennial year.
The On-Going Relationship
Voices for WRJ: Parashat Tzav
This week’s parashah (Tzav, Lev. 6:1–8:36) is one that is a bit difficult for us in these modern times to relate to as it refers to the many kinds of sacrificial offerings made by the Israelites to God.