Parshah Columnists - Vayikra

Does the mitzvah count if you scrupulously perform the physical details but without feeling?

Why would an infinite, all-knowing, omnipotent G‑d wish for people to offer up animal sacrifices? It seems to be a pointless waste of resources and needless dispensing of life.

An animal does what it does, it makes no choices, it makes no mistakes. Lions eat zebras and raccoons knock over garbage pails. We can be annoyed but never angry with them. We must never be raccoons.

When given an opportunity to earn more dollars, few people will say, “Why bother? I can manage with the bare necessities.” Why would the spiritual quality of life be any less important?

With all its gory detail, this is a book about love.

For the moment, my heart overflows with pride as I witness her burgeoning independence, her sense of self. I know that in a few months or years from now, these traits may not always seem so endearing, but for now, I kvell.

If you hurt someone’s feelings as a result of a mere slip of the tongue, presumably there is nothing to be sorry for. Presumably it “meant nothing.” Unless, of course, unconscious gestures are even more meaningful than conscious ones.

"Leviticus deals with the various aspects of holiness. Holiness is found in all of the book’s subjects, in the major principles as well as in the small particulars"

How semichah turns animal sacrifice into an individual experience.

"She demanded Medical School or else!" "She force fed me chicken soup -- intravenously!" Jewish novelists have made millions denouncing their mothers to the world...

In Jewish tradition, humility was always considered one of the most exalted virtues.

How do we properly assess our accomplishments and our shortcomings, avoiding both grandiosity and low self-esteem?

To receive the Divine teachings, Moses had to achieve the quality of utter humility

There is a brewing political situation, which may or may not develop into a scandal. But it's the cover-up that sinks them every time...

For my family and me, these past 12 months have been quite a ride. We’ve had wonderful times and times of heartbreak.

The existence of the Jewish people, not just their righteous, is a song of G-d.

Why must a Jew be taken to task for an innocent mistake? He had no intention of disobeying G‑d’s law—why is his behavior considered sinful and in need of atonement?

How does fulfilling one commandment atone for transgressing another?

Do we surrender to the anti-truth of arbitrary happenstance, or do we embrace the divine calling of purposeful engagement? The difference looks a lot smaller than it is

“The world, and all it contains,” states the Psalmist, “is G‑d’s." It would seem that the Eighth Commandment is superfluous—since in the final analysis, it’s not possible to steal anything.

When no one was in the synagogue, he brought in the loaves under his cloak. He prayed that G‑d should look upon his offering with favor, and eat and enjoy the lovely, freshly baked bread . . .

Leaders make mistakes. That is inevitable. The real issue is how he or she responds to those mistakes.

It’s easy to suppose that people who find meaning are happy, and people who are happy have found meaning. But the two are not the same, nor do they always overlap.

When one person is being dishonest to another, why does the Torah call it “a transgression against G‑d”?