Parashat Naso
Even before the children of Israel received the Ten Commandments, they were told by G-d, “You are to be a mamlekhet kohanim,” (a kingdom of priests). One of our first communal obligations is to act as a nation of kohanim. How are we to embody this task in our daily lives and bring it into our homes, our places of work, and our world? Parashah Naso offers helpful insight into one of the core responsibilities of the priests of the Temple, namely, to bless the people.

As the kohanim transmitted G-d's blessing to the Israelites, we too must transmit G-d's blessing to all people. To bless others is to serve as conduits of G-d's blessing, G-d's generosity, and G-d's light. Blessing opens a channel for holiness to enrich the lives of both the blessers and the blessed.

In this parashah, Aaron and his sons—the original kohanim—are given the liturgical formula to use when blessing the Israelites. This blessing is called the birkat kohanim and it remains a centerpiece of the Jewish prayer service.

Birkat kohanim is both an exhortation toward social responsibility and a humbling reminder that the Source of Life is at the helm of creation. The birkat kohanim reads:

May G-d bless you and keep you.
May the light of G-d's face shine upon you and bring you grace.
May G-d's Face be lifted upon you and grant you peace.
May G-d Bless you and keep you.

By blessing others, we become channels of the Divine. To be blessed is to be protected by G-d and to bless others is to contribute to the protection and welfare of those whom we are blessing.

We can acknowledge the blessings in our own lives by living lives dedicated to justice and healing, by taking seriously our role as conduits for goodness in the world and by living lives of humility. We must recognize our interdependence with G-d, with other people, and with the earth.

It is not enough to be blessed by G-d; we in turn become responsible for blessing others. To offer birkat kohanim is to invite G-d into the work we do in the world, to lift our hands toward the heavens and each other in faith and hope that we may be participants in creating peace.

Parashat Be’ha’aloteha
As slaves living under Pharaoh's law, the Israelites existed in a society which neither recognized the value of their beliefs, nor honored their inherent dignity as human beings. Though they received food and shelter, these were given in the most meager amounts.

In Parshat Be'ha'alotekha, just weeks after their liberation from slavery, the Israelites prepare to offer their Passover sacrifice to G-d. Representing a unique moment in the history of the Jews, this sacrifice commemorates both our people's liberation from slavery, as well as our communal redemption by G-d.

Standing at Sinai, amidst peels of thunder, the Israelites entered into a covenant with G-d and agreed to accept His laws. Now in a covenantal relationship with G-d, their new obligations and responsibilities became central to their existence and identity as Israelites.

By the very definition of “covenant,” the Israelites at that moment became partners with G-d. As a people living in a sacred covenant, they assumed numerous responsibilities and obligations both as individuals and as a community. They were individually accountable for their actions and their failures to act, for their words and their deeds.

Like our ancestors, we as modern Jews are personally and communally accountable for what we say and what we do. Above all else, this is the sacred inheritance that is passed from generation to generation.

Parashat Shelach
Parashat Shelach describes how 12 spies scout the Land of Israel. When they return, only Caleb and Joshua bring back positive reports. The rest of the spies frighten the people with terrifying accounts of the powerful people who live in the land. Hearing their reports, G-d threatens to abandon his people for their disloyalty. But Moses pleads with G-d on behalf of the people not to destroy them, saying that G-d's reputation is at stake. In his plea, Moses repeats G-d's own words, when G-d earlier said:

“The Lord! Slow to anger and abounding in kindness; forgiving iniquity and transgression; yet not remitting all punishment, but visiting the iniquity of fathers upon children, upon the third and fourth generations.' Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to Your great kindness, as You have forgiven this people ever since Egypt.”

Jewish tradition teaches that we are often judged by others based on how we act, when we drink liquor, how much tzedakah we give, and how well we control ourselves when we are provoked. And, just like G-d, our reputation depends on it. The Talmud also adds a fourth criterion to the other three, saying that our nature is recognized “by what we do for pleasure.” Like G-d, we have guidelines. And like G-d, we often need to be reminded that being slow to anger is better than acting immediately and brashly. We need not hide our emotions, but merely pause a moment before we do something that might destroy our reputations. May we each remember to be like G-d—slow to anger and abounding in kindness.

Parashat Korach
Parshat Korach is one of several Torah portions that relates stories of dissension and resistance, among some of the children of Israel against Moses and G-d, during the nation's desert wanderings. It describes perhaps the most significant challenge to Moses and G-d's leadership since the incident with the Golden Calf.

Korach, a cousin of Moses and Aaron, is joined by Datan and Aviram of the tribe of Reuben, and together they challenge Moses' authority as leader. They say that all of the people are part of G-d's holy community, and thus who is Moses to elevate himself above the people? Further, they question why the kohanim receive special privileges of the temple service.

Moses was quite shaken by this challenge and responded that in the morning G-d would indicate who should lead the people. Moses also rebukes Korach, who was a Levite, by pointing out that he already had a special status, and thus he should not agitate and challenge the kohanim.

In the morning, G-d makes his preference for Moses quite clear. The earth opens up and swallows Korach, Datan, Aviram and all of their families and followers. The next day, the whole community, both frightened and angered by what happened to Korach, assembles against Moses and Aaron. G-d is furious with this reaction, and sends a plague as punishment. Thousands die, and the plague ceases only when Moses and Aaron intercede on the people's behalf.

We see in this parashah that when self-aggrandizement or personal gain motivate a protest, G-d has no tolerance.
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Much of this commentary came from the American Jewish World Service. To learn more, visit www.ajws.org.