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"And Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil soup and he ate and he drank and he rose and he went and Esau despised the birthright." (From this week's Torah portion, Toldot, Genesis 25:34) Esau is a practical guy. Modern. He isn't interested in "birthrights," titles and mysticism. He builds the world with his own two hands. Jacob's soup smells good and if his primitive dreamer of a brother wants some intangible entity in exchange for the red stew, he is more than happy to sell it to him. After all, everybody dies in the end anyway, so what good is...

The various types of offerings brought on the altar in the Sanctuary and in Jerusalem were classified as Major Sanctity and Lesser Sanctity. The Mincha (meal) offering of the poor is called Kodesh Kodoshim (Major Sanctity) "like the sin-offering" of the repentant.1 Abarbanel, the great Spanish commentator, observes that while other offerings may be of relatively minor sacredness, those of the poor, who give with sacrifice and self-denial, are of major holiness. Similarly, the expression of contrition by the erstwhile sinner, his remorse for evildoing, is cherished by his merciful Creator. The significance of the offering lies less in its...

Today we begin the book of Leviticus, so-called because it is concerned largely with the laws of the priesthood, the descendants of the tribe of Levi. The dominant theme, that of the sacrificial offerings brought on the altar, is introduced with these words: "A man who offers from you an offering to G-d..." The sequence of the words seems incongruous -- it should read, "A man from you who offers..." Underlying the ritual of sacrifices, the ceremonial acts of the Kohen, there is the intent of the donor of the offering. The animal offering was symbolic of a greater sacrifice,...

If we take a close look at the Exodus from Egypt, we notice that practically the entire story centers around the plagues which Pharoah and the Egyptians suffered. From our early childhood, we are familiar with, and take great pleasure in, the episode of the plagues. The plagues play such a central role, that we sometimes forget to ask: Hey, wait a minute! Why should the Exodus focus so predominantly on the plagues? Why should the liberation of the Hebrews, the nation which brings light to the world, have to be so closely associated with the suffering of another people?...