The Man Behind the Curtain

This week has been a full week, and to be honest, I'm shocked that this episode is actually being released. I wrote, recorded, and produced it in a single day, and I'm not even sure if it makes sense, so if you're reading this and you give it a listen, let me know!

This week, the Torah offers another double Torah portion, Achrei Mot & Kedushim, which are both about creating holy community, in different ways. At the beginning of Achrei Mot, and in response to the deaths of Aaron's sons Nadav and Avihu (which we read about earlier in the Torah),  G-d offers a strict set of laws regarding who is, and is not, allowed to approach the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, and pull back the curtain which covers its entrance, when, and for what purpose.

It got me thinking this week, especially after my first COVID shot, about the layers of illusion that have to exist to make a society function, and about another curtain that was famously pulled back, by a dog named Toto in a land called Oz.

I'm not a rabbi, so every week I look at our Torah portion and try to put it in conversation with the modern world around me. Judaism is rich in tradition, and each of us deserves the chance to find our own meaning in the text. Just remember, like the text itself says, “there’s nothing new under the sun.”

Learn more about me and any of my other podcasts at www.moderntorah.com.

I’m not a rabbi, so every week, I look at our Torah portion and try to put it in conversation with the world around me. Judaism is rich in tradition, and each of us deserves the chance to find our own meaning in the text. Whether you’re studying Torah daily, or taking a moment to prepare for Shabbat, I hope you’ll make these ten minutes of Torah part of your week.

You can learn more about me, and my work, on my website – www.nathanjvaughan.com

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