Evan Wolkenstein

There's so much to see in this week's parsha that Evan Wolkenstein, experiential educator, decides to zoom in and focus on the story of two relatively minor characters. (Although one of them - baby Ishmael - is an actual minor. Snort.)

How often do we punish individuals before addressing the ills of our social structures?

We cannot slip into loopholes and forego responsibility.

Our actions and our words must be in line with one another.

Vengeance cannot be the response to violence.

Halacha and social equality today.

This portion teaches us that there are no easy fixes to the complex problems that face our social systems.

Though the book of Leviticus--and other global systems--may seem antiquated, but we cannot just strike them from the record.

This portion's attention to detail speaks to the kind of vigilance we need in creating a just society.

Like the Egyptians devastated by the arrival of the plagues, we become concerned only when environmental degradation reaches our back door.