Ki Teitzei Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19 By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith Ki Teitzei is overwhelming. It contains more mitzvot than almost any other portion (74, in fact.) Reading through them is like scrolling through an ancient rulebook: lost property, fair wages, limits on punishment, laws of family life, kindness to animals, proper building codes. It […]

Parshat Shoftim Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9 By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith Tzedek, tzedek tirdof – Justice, justice, shall you pursue. (Deut. 16:20). If the Torah had a tagline, this might be it. It’s short, memorable, and compelling. It almost begs to be printed on bumper stickers and t-shirts: Justice, Justice, Shall You Pursue. But why […]

Parshat Re’eh Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17 By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith The curtains’ part at the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Re’eh, with a dramatic proposition: “See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.” (Deut. 11:26) It is a spiritual version of “Door #1 or Door #2,” except instead of Monty […]

Eikev Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25 By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith As the days of summer slowly slip into the golden light of Elul, and backpacks are filled with sharpened pencils and anxious hopes, we find ourselves in that sacred season known as “back to school.” Whether you’re a student, a teacher, a parent, or just someone who […]

Parshat Va’etchanan Deuteronomy 3:23 – 7:11 By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith This week, I spent a couple of days in the University of Pittsburgh gymnasium in Pittsburgh, surrounded not by Torah or my favorite Jewish books, but by basketballs, squeaking sneakers, and teenagers giving their all on the court. My 15-year-old son, Jordan, was there […]

Pinchas Numbers 25:10 – 30:1 By Torah Blogger, Jen Smith In a portion named for a man who acted in self-righteous, judgmental violence, it is the voices of five courageous women – Machlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah – that offer us one of the Torah’s most powerful lessons in spiritual inheritance, sacred change, and […]