Our guest this week is Rabbi Daniel Weiner, Senior Rabbi of Seattle’s Temple De Hirsch Sinai. Rabbi Weiner received a B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA, where he was Commencement Speaker in 1986. He earned his Master’s from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1989. Ordained in 1991, Rabbi Weiner served as the Assistant/Associate Rabbi at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation from 1991-1996 and then as the Senior Rabbi of Temple Ohev Sholom in Harrisburg. Rabbi Weiner was a founder of Faith Forward, a cutting edge interfaith organization that highlighted and shared the inextricable bonds between progressive values and religious principles. In 2009, Rabbi Weiner published a book on the challenge of religious faith vs. personal spirituality entitled, Good God: Faith for the Rest of Us.
This week's Torah Portion – Parashat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18) – contains a vast number of laws given to the people of Israel, including laws concerning slaves, murder and theft, restitution, and a myriad of other social and religious matters. Our conversation focuses, among other things, on the role of restrictive laws and prohibitions in Judaism.
If you would like to learn some more about Mishpatim, take a look at our discussion with Rabbi Peter Berg.
