Lilah Gonsenhauser - Dvar Torah
- Jun 13
- 3 min read

Shabbat Shalom!
Today’s Torah portion is K’doshim which can be found in the book of Leviticus, the 3rd book of the Torah.
This portion takes place after the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt and they wandered in the Sinai desert for 40 years. This is when G-d spoke to Moses and told him to obey the 10 commandments and the mitzvot. My Torah portion examines some of these commandments or Mitzvot in detail.
K’doshim is a very interesting portion to read and listening to Rabbi Greg’s interpretation was amazing. There were a few parts that really caught my attention, the first one being that farmers were commanded to leave some of their crops for gleaners, those who collect the fallen produce. This is about charity and making sure that even the very poor have something to eat. This is still very important today and is something I love about Judaism, that they put such a huge focus on giving charity or doing something charitable.
Secondly the verses about not hating your fellow or not taking vengeance or holding a grudge. This is a commandment that all of today’s politicians would do well to read and listen to. The world right now seems to be filled with more hate than ever before. So much of what is going on is about grudges that have been held for 1000’s of years. So much fighting and killing and suffering based on hate and vengeance. We need to try harder to work towards a place of peace, acceptance and co-existence. Our world leaders need to show us the way.
Thirdly the verse “the strangers who reside with you, shall be to you as your citizens, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” is incredibly important to us as South Africans and particularly as South African Jews. Here in South Africa we treat refugees very badly. There is huge xenophobia and violence towards people from other African countries. This is something we all need to work towards ending. They need support, not hate. We Jews know what it was like in Moses’ time and what it is still like to be treated terribly, as if we do not belong.
Lastly Rabbi Greg highlighted how Judaism now looks very different to how it did 3500 years ago. So certain of the commandments and Mitzvot about slaves for example are no longer observed from when rabbinical leaders outlawed slavery. The concept of Judaism changing and adapting is very appealing to me. We can study and learn from the past but accept change. I love being a Progressive Jew, where women have the same status as men and everyone is welcome. I love this stream of Judaism that can modernise and change. I love that Progressive Judaism is respectful of all other religions and actively promotes interfaith. I know we have had Rabbis, Priests and Imam’s in our Temple praying together. If we can do it then maybe one day everyone everywhere can do the same.
In conclusion, the Jews were slaves in Egypt and once freed G-d gave us a number of commandments and Mitzvot to obey. While some have been adapted to modern times, we have learnt from the past and need to continue to do so. We all need support and acceptance. We all need peace and tolerance. The version of G-d and Judaism I love does just this.
Shabbat Shalom
Comentários