MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Jul 28th 2010

by MAZON

The Text: 8:3 [God] subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, in order to teach you that a human being does not live on bread alone, but that one may live on anything that The Eternal decrees. 8:7-10 For ... continue reading »

Jul 21st 2010

by MAZON

The Text: 6:10-12 When you Eternal God brings you into the land that was sworn to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to be assigned to you—great and flourishing cities that you did not build, houses full of all good things that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and ... continue reading »

Jul 14th 2010

by MAZON

The Text: 1:16-17 I charged your magistrates at that time as follows, “Hear out your fellow Israelites, and decide justly between anyone and a fellow Israelite or a stranger.  You shall not be partial in judgment: hear out low and high alike.  Fear no one, for judgment is God’s.” The Context: Devarim (literally, “words”) is ... continue reading »

Jul 7th 2010

by MAZON

The Text: The Context: What it Means for Advocates: The same portion that describes the wanderings of the Israelites delineates the boundaries of the Promised Land and establishes cities of refuge.  Though the journey from slavery to freedom has been long, soon the Israelites will have an opportunity to build a just society. The Torah ... continue reading »

Jul 7th 2010

by MAZON

The Text: The Context: What it Means for Advocates: The same portion that describes the wanderings of the Israelites delineates the boundaries of the Promised Land and establishes cities of refuge.  Though the journey from slavery to freedom has been long, soon the Israelites will have an opportunity to build a just society. The Torah ... continue reading »

Jun 30th 2010

by MAZON

The Text: Numbers 27:16 “Let the YHVH, Source of the breath of all flesh, appoint a leader for the community who shall go out before them and come in before them, and who shall take them out and bring them in, so that YHVH’s community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd.” The ... continue reading »

Jun 23rd 2010

by MAZON

The Text: Numbers 24:5-7 “How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!” The blessing was intended to be a curse by Balaam but it emerged instead as a blessing.  It is the source for the prayer Mah Tovu, recited daily upon entering a synagogue. The Context: This Torah portion recalls the unusual ... continue reading »

Jun 16th 2010

by MAZON

The Text: Numbers 20:2-5 “The community was without water, and they joined against Moses and Aaron.  “The people quarreled with Moses, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished at the instance of YHVH!  Why have you brought the YHVH’s congregation into this wilderness for us and our beasts to die there? …There ... continue reading »

Jun 9th 2010

by MAZON

The Text: Numbers 16:1-3 “Now Korah…betook himself, along with Dathan and Abiram…and On…descendents of Reuben…to rise up against Moses, together with two hundred and fifty Israelite notables-chieftans of the community, chosen in the assembly, with fine reputations.  They combined against Moses and Aaron…” The Context: In one of the most dramatic stories in the Torah, ... continue reading »

Jun 8th 2010

by MAZON

Each June, school bells across America ring for the final time. It’s the sound of freedom to some – but not to the more than 30 million kids who rely for their survival on the free or reduced-price lunch they receive at school. Without this vital nutrition assistance, the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society ... continue reading »