Ibn Ezra: Spirit of Leadership (Pinchas)
Moses asks God who the next leader will be, using an unusual name: “God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint someone over the community” (Numbers 27:16).
Ibn Ezra: The Secret of Seven (Balak)
Ibn Ezra discusses the secret of the sevens used in Balaam’s ritual to supposedly curse the Israelites. Seven altars, seven bulls, seven rams.
Ibn Ezra: Moses’ Mistake (Chukat)
God tells Moses to speak to a rock, which will then provide water. Instead, Moses strikes it twice with his rod. He and Aaron are punished. Why exactly?
Ibn Ezra: Soul Language (Korach)
Ibn Ezra on the anthropomorphism of the biblical text in talking about the “earth opening her mouth to swallow” the rebels Datan and Aviram, and their camp.
Ibn Ezra: Tallit Time (Shelach Lecha)
Ibn Ezra on tzitzit and tallit – there are times, spaces, and activities in which we are fully aligned with our values. Then there is the rest of life.