"Honoring the Diminished": Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses on Parshat Matot, 5782

Romemu: Jewish Life, Elevated

Matot-Masei is a double parsha which brings us to the completion of the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar). In her sermon, Rabbi Cohler-Esses explores reckoning with difficult passages in the Torah, with texts that are violent or patriarchal. Focusing on the laws of women and vows she suggests a methodology for approaching problematic texts by highlighting larger Biblical principles that can take us on a path to honoring those that have been diminished in the Torah.