The libertarian view of economic justice is approximately this: If people freely agree to exchanges, then they are fair by definition. Restricting people's freedom in order to bring about or maintain a certain pattern of wealth distribution is unjust. The Torah disagrees.

The Jews are bitten by snakes after complaining again in the desert. At G-d's instruction, Moses builds a copper snake so that the Jews can look at it and be healed. What message was G-d trying to send to them -- and to us -- and how can that message help keep us healthy?

The tale of the copper serpent is not simply about the destructive power of sin; it is about our capacity to grow, and ultimately triumph, in spite of it.

For all of his brilliance, for or all of his excellence, for all of the ways in which Moses will forever be the archetypical religious leader in the Jewish tradition, he was also imperfect.

Korach is joined in his rebellion by Moses' life-long antagonists, Doson and Aviram. Will Moses jump at his big chance to get rid of them forever?

Rahav, who is specifically called a whore in the opening lines, stands among various outsider and transgressive women in the Hebrew Bible who play a decisive, if unexpected, role in bringing healing and redemption to their people.

The Jews are told they have to spend an additional 40 years wandering in the desert. But was this really a punishment? The answer may make you think twice about what you wish for.

Aaron was upset that he and his tribe did not get to donate offerings for the inauguration of the Altar. G-d cheered him up by reassuring him hat he would get to light the Menorah. Was Aaron jealous?

God speaks each and every day. Naso is a reminder to pay close attention and wake up to the world around us. Turn off the noise and see the beauty. Don't sleep through the sacred dimensions of life.

On Shavuot night, thousands of Jews will place learning at the center of Jewish life, encountering texts and ideas late into the night, across Jewish practices and ideologies. What does it mean to take Jewish learning into the year?

Violent deaths should never happen. But when we are witnesses to such evil, we must engage even more fully with the work of perfecting the world.

While we cannot erase the problematic verses about homosexuality from the Torah, we can classify them as teachings that actively negate fundamental principles of Torah, and so are no longer to be accepted as "holy" -- artifacts of the human limitations of our ancestors' quest for holiness.

It is awfully tempting to share a juicy bit of gossip with friends. But the high cost of doing so may make you reconsider.

Leviticus is teaching us that the holiest of work, even when we are suffering under the burden of our own grief, is to help bring healing to others.

Last week, as the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding marriage equality for same-sex couples, I returned to the Torah portion Shemini, with its cryptic report of the tragic fate of two sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu.

While we Jews have benefited greatly from creating a portable Judaism that we could take with us in our wanderings throughout the world, we are challenged today to consider how best to renew a sense of closeness to our Source, both cerebral and embodied.

The Israelite women donate their copper mirrors for the building of the Tabernacle's wash-basin. But Moses won't accept the donation until G-d intervenes. What exactly is going on?

Calling on the people -- reminding them of a shared purpose, building the sacred dwelling place we call home, or community, or our country -- is a holy task. And it is one where we all contribute, as fully as we can.

G-d tells Moses that the Jews have built a golden calf. But Moses waits to see it for himself before he breaks the Tablets. Why? Tune in for a novel explanation.

This week, we read the classic example of a leader who strays from the middle of the road to the edge, and eventually into the ditch: Pharaoh. We in the modern world should take note.

As we begin the annual reading of the book of Exodus, we call on our political leaders in Israel to carefully reread this time-honored narrative, seeing themselves as modern-day figures like Moses and Miriam, who have the great opportunity and responsibility to help shape a diverse and promising Jewish and democratic society in our ancestral homeland.

Praying is not enough. We must assume responsibility for what has happened in order to ensure that such things never happen again. We must remember, as Edmund Burke famously said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men to do nothing."

A lesson of the dramatic first episode in the Joseph saga is that negative campaigning, which fuels partisanship at the expense of discovering truth, has dangerous consequences.

Both "brothers," Palestine and Israel, today need to make the choice that begins with the new cease-fire, but must lead from there to a long-term truce; the truce must give time for compassion to flower where there was fear and rage.

The reward for this arduous work is revealed in the tearful and joyful reunion of Jacob and Esau, healing the many years of estrangement.