Dear Friends,
This week’s portion, Parashat Emor, finds us well into the book of Leviticus. It opens with the familiar rhythm of laws—ritual, structure, and the sacred ordering of time—that defines so much of this book.
And then, at the very end, the Torah shifts.
Abruptly. Jarringly.
After all the legal detail, we are given a story: a man, caught up in the heat of an argument, utters God’s name in anger—and is severely punished. From a legal perspective, it can feel disproportionate. After all, he didn’t act physically. He didn’t harm someone with his hands. He simply said something in a moment of rage.
And yet, the Torah treats it as a rupture of the sacred.
The rabbis noticed this shift in tone, and they understood that it was anything but accidental. After chapters devoted to ritual behavior and sacred structure, this story is placed here to teach a deeper truth: that ultimately, it is not only what we do, but what we say that leaves the most lasting impact.
Ours is a tradition that has always taken speech seriously.
The very first chapter of the Torah makes that clear. Creation itself unfolds through words. God speaks—and the world comes into being. That idea of divine fiat, of speech as a creative force, reminds us of the extraordinary power our words hold: the power to build, to shape, to create reality.
But this story in this week’s portion reminds us of the other side of that power.
We can build the most beautiful sanctuary. We can create a synagogue filled with meaning, with learning, with extraordinary programming. But if we do not speak to one another with warmth, with respect, with an awareness that each of us is created b’tzelem Elohim—in the image of God—then everything else begins to unravel.
The rabbis taught that speech can be more dangerous than a weapon.
One ancient teaching compares our words to arrows. Because like an arrow, once our words are released, they cannot be taken back. They travel outward, and they do what they will…sometimes building, but often wounding.
And in our world today, that teaching feels almost understated.
Because in a world of social media and algorithms, words don’t just land once. They echo. They are remembered, repeated, reshared. An arrow strikes a single time but a careless word can wound again and again, long after it was first spoken.
And so the Torah leaves us with a question that is as urgent now as it has ever been:
What are we doing with our words?
Are we using them to lift people up or to tear them down?
Are we repeating something we’ve heard without asking whether it is true, or fair?
Are we speaking in moments of anger, allowing our emotions to drive us, without recognizing that our words may deepen the very harm we seek to address?
Pirkei Avot teaches: “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.”
It is a stark formulation and an honest one.
The placement of this story at the end of this week’s portion is not an afterthought.
It is a deliberate reminder that holiness is not achieved through ritual alone. It is found in the way we conduct ourselves every day…in the small moments, in the passing interactions, in the words we choose when we are frustrated, or hurt, or provoked.
We can build the most beautiful structures.
But if our words are careless, or cruel, or dismissive, then even the most sacred spaces begin to lose their holiness.
And if, instead, we choose our words with intention, if we speak with kindness, with humility, with a genuine regard for one another, then something remarkable happens.
We don’t just preserve holiness.
We create it.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Daniel Cohen
Sources for Information and Jewish Learning
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been sharing some of the sources I turn to—for both information and Jewish learning. I want to offer two more that I’ve found especially meaningful.
First, my friend Yossi Klein Halevi and Rabbi Donniel Hartman, who together are very much the soul of the Shalom Hartman Institute, a non-denominational center of Jewish thought and study based in Israel with a growing presence here in North America. Yossi and Donniel come from very different backgrounds and perspectives. Their conversations can be challenging at times—but they are consistently thoughtful, nuanced, and deeply honest. Their podcast, For Heaven’s Sake, models the kind of serious, respectful engagement that feels all too rare right now. A recent episode in particular is especially powerful, and well worth your time:Second, Haviv Rettig Gur. Trained as a historian, Haviv has become one of the most important voices helping English-speaking audiences better understand Israel—its history, its complexity, and its internal debates. His YouTube lectures are exceptional, and his podcast, Ask Haviv Anything, is consistently insightful.
In a recent episode, he responds to an op-ed by Ezra Klein of The New York Times. It’s a pointed conversation, to be sure—but especially for those in our community who continue to rely on the Times for their understanding of Israel, it offers important—and at times challenging—food for thought. You can listen here.
Finally, on Israel’s 78th anniversary, I shared a brief slideshow of past TSTI trips to Israel. In the days that followed, additional photos came in from members of our community. I’m grateful for that—and honored to be able to share an updated version of the slideshow with you here.