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Weekly Torah Portion

In 2020-2021, as part of his role as Senior Scholar-in-Residence at the Hadar Institute, Rabbi Greenberg wrote an weekly essay on the Torah portion. These essays are available to download in PDF format.

Bereishit

“Creation”
Parashat Bereishit 5781, Fall 2020.
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“Covenant”
Parashat Noah 5781, Fall 2020.
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“Covenantal Pluralism”
Parashat Lekh Lekha 5781, Fall 2020.
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“Your Arm’s Too Short to Box With God – Or Is It?”
Parashat VaYera 5781, Fall 2020.
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“The Torah Came to Make A Mensch”
Parashat Hayyei Sarah 5781, Fall 2020.
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“Our Mother Rebecca”
Parashat Toldot 5781, Fall 2020.
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“The Journey to Maturation in the Covenant”
Parashat VaYeitztei 5781, Fall 2020.
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“Our Name is Israel”
Parashat VaYishlach 5781, Winter 2020.
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“The Messianic Life Force”
Parashat VaYeishev 5781, Winter 2020.
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“Learning the Lessons of Hanukkah”
Parashat Mikeitz 5781, Winter 2020.
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“Can We Save the Unity of the Jewish People?”
Parashat VaYigash 5781, Winter 2020.
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“The Covenant Between the Generations”
Parashat VaYechi 5781, Winter 2020.
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Shemot

“The Exodus as Orienting Event”
Parashat Shemot 5781, Winter 2020.
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“You Are Not Free Until You Are At Home”
Parashat Va’Era 5781, Winter 2020.
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“The Hebrew Calendar is the First Commandment”
Parashat Bo 5781, Winter 2020.
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“Do Not Rely On a Miracle”
Parashat Beshallah 5781, Winter 2020.
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“What Happened at Sinai?”
Parashat Yitro 5781, Winter 2020.
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“The Book of the Covenant”
Parashat Mishpatim 5781, Winter 2020.
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“The Torah Speaks in the Language of Humanity”
Parashat Terumah 5781, Winter 2020.
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“On the Priesthood”
Parashat Tetzaveh 5781, Winter 2020.
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“God, As Defined By God”
Parashat Ki Tissa 5781, Spring 2020.
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“Sacred Space, Sacred Time”
Parashat VaYekhel-Pekudei 5781, Spring 2020.
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Vayikra

“The Polution of Non-Acts”
Parashat VaYikra 5781, Spring 2021.
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“Does God Want Sacrifices—or Not?”
Parashat Tzav 5781, Spring 2021.
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“The Once and Future Exodus”
Seventh Day Pesach 5781, Spring 2021.
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“Kashrut: Eating As an Act of Choosing Life”
Parashat Shemini 5781, Spring 2020.
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“Purity-Impurity: A Code of Life and Death”
Parashat Tazria-Metzora 5781, Spring 2021.
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“Partners With God”
Parashat Emor 5781, Spring 2020.
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“A Torah to Live By”
Parashat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5781, Spring 2020.
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“Judaism’s Utopian Vision of Universal Equality”
Parashat BeHar-BeHukotai 5781, Spring 2021.
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Bemidbar

“The Limits of Numbers”
Parashat Bemidbar 5781, Summer 2021.
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“From God, With Love”
Parashat Naso 5781, Summer 2021.
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“A Tale of Three Menorahs”
Parashat BeHa’alotekha 5781, Summer 2021.
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“Mediating Between the Divine and the Human”
Parashat Shelach 5781, Summer 2021.
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“The Truth About Power and Divine Service”
Parashat Korach 5781, Summer 2021.
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“Understanding the Mystifying”
Parashat Chukkat 5781, Summer 2021.
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“Prophetic Pluralism”
Parashat Balak 5781, Summer 2021.
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“The Chain of Life”
Parashat Pinchas, Summer 2021.
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“Not the Vision, But the Journey”
Parashat Mattot-Mas'ei, Summer 2021.
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Devarim

“Moses’ Narrative – And Ours”
Parashat Devarim 5781, Summer 2021.
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“When Exodus Replaces Creation (Or Not)”
Parashat Va'Etchanan, Summer 2021.
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“The Great, Mighty, and Awesome God Isn’t What S/He Used to Be”
Parashat Eikev, Summer 2021.
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“What Can We Learn from the War On Idolatry?”
Parashat Re'eih, Summer 2021.
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“Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue”
Parashat Shoftim 5781, Summer 2021.
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“The Travesty of Agunot”
Parashat Ki Teitzei 5781, Summer 2021.
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“The Age of Chastisement Is Over”
Parashat Ki Tavo 5781, Summer 2021.
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“Choose Life”
Parashat Nitzavim 5781, Summer 2021.
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“Renewing the Covenant”
Parashat VaYelekh 5781, Fall 2021.
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“Resurrection as a Core Tenet of Judaism”
Parashat Ha'azinu 5782, Fall 2021.
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“Simchat Torah – A Creation of the Jewish People”
Simchat Torah 5782, Fall 2021.
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