"For Instruction shall come forth from Zion, The word of the L-rd from Jerusalem." -- Isaiah 2:3

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Are you more of an "I'll dive right in and figure it out" person, or a "Show Me How This Thing Works" person?  If the former, go right ahead and try the excerpts browers on the right side of this page and/or scroll through the excerpts that start below the following information -- although we still suggest reading the information first.  If you are the latter, click here for a video demonstrating the Excerpts Browser. Either way (or both), enjoy! 

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LEVITICUS — 26:16 wreak

Torah Book & Portion, Book of Leviticus, Bechukotai (Leviticus 26:3-27:34), Source Book Keys, OXFORD
Page(s): 313-4
LEV1119 Humans may and should use medicine to prevent, mitigate, or cure illnesses. The Torah maintains that God imposes illness as punishment for sin [this verse, Deuteronomy 28:22, 59-61] – although the biblical Book of Job strongly challenges this belief – and that God is our healer. (Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 32:39; cf. Isaiah 19:22; 57:18-9; Jeremiah 30:17; 33:6, etc.). That idea might lead some to conclude that medicine is an improper human intervention in God's decision to inflict illness, indeed, an act of human hubris. The Rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash were aware of this line of reasoning, but they countered it by pointing out that God Himself authorizes us to heal. In fact, the Rabbis maintained, God requires us to heal. They found that authorization and that imperative in several biblical verses. Exodus 21:19–20 requires that an assailant must provide for his victim to be "thoroughly healed," thus presuming that physicians have permission to cure. Deuteronomy 22:2 ("And you shall restore the lost property to him"), in their interpretation, imposes an obligation to restore another person's body as well as his/her property. On the basis of Leviticus 19:16 ("nor shall you stand idly by the blood of your fellow"), the Talmud expands the obligation to provide medical aid to encompass expenditure of financial resources for this purpose. (Continued at [[LEV649]] Leviticus 19:18 love OXFORD 314). (By Elliot N. Dorff)

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NUMBERS — 15:2 speak

Torah Book & Portion, Book of Numbers, Shelach (Numbers 13:1–15:41), Source Book Keys, OXFORD
Page(s): 13-4
NUM152 While family, community, authority figures, and even God are used by other societies to create moral character, albeit in different ways and degrees than Judaism uses those elements, study is one Jewish method for creating moral people that few other societies use. Moreover, this is an ancient Jewish method, stemming from the Torah itself. The Torah was not given to a group of elders who alone would know it; it was rather given to the entire People Israel assembled at Mount Sinai. In keeping with the public nature of revelation in Judaism, God tells Moses a number of times, "Speak to the people Israel and say to them (or command them)." (For example, [this verse], Numbers 15:17-18, 37-38; 19:1-2; 28:1-2; 34:1-2; 35:1-2, 9-10. Moreover, every Jew is responsible to know God's commands (Deuteronomy 5:1) and to teach them to their children (Deuteronomy 6:7, 11;19). (By Elliot N. Dorff and Jonathan K. Crane)

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