“Count the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou count them.” (Bamidbar 3:15) I was once driving past a public school in a small town in Ontario, Canada, and the children recognized me as a Jew and began shouting all [...]
“…and I have broken the bars of your yoke, and I will have you walk upright.” (Vayikra 26:13) Rashi: קוממיות means erect in one’s posture (in contrast to the bent position of a person who is under a yoke) (Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 3 7). What is Rashi teaching by telling us that you will have [...]
“Speak to the children of Yisroel, and say to them, the festivals of Hashem…Six days shall work be done: on the seventh day is the Sabbath of solemn rest…” (Vayikra 23:2-3) In general, when we think about Shabbos, we understand its importance as a “wellspring of kedusha” for the rest of the week. But how [...]
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord. (Vayikra 19:18) The Mesilas Yesharim writes (11:78): The sins of hatred and revenge, as well, are very difficult for the deluded heart of human beings to avoid. For a [...]
“When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a white pot, scab, or bright spot…” (Vayikra 13:2) The Torah uses the expression “Adam Ki” in three places. Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dunner (1913-2007) explains the usage of this expression in each of these situations: In Parshas Vayikra (1:2) “אָדָם כִּי־יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן לַה'” [...]
And every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth shall be held abominable; it shall not be eaten. (Vayikra 11:41) At the end of the Parsha, the Torah speaks about us not eating insects, cockroaches, creepy-crawling creatures. Rashi quotes the Tana Divei Rebbe Yishmael, who says that if it wouldn’t be for anything else, just [...]
“Please speak in the ears of the people, and let every man ask of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.” (Shemos 11:2) There is a joke told about a man who met Eliyahu Hanavi. Eliyahu asked him, “When should I bring Mashiach?” The man said, let [...]
“AND the Lord called to Moshe, and spoke to him out of the Tent of Meeting, saying…” (Vayikra 1:1) In the Tefila Uva Letzion we recite something called “kedusha desidra” – “kedusha” that is part of the order of davening. In that kedusha, we say the Aramaic translation of the verses according to Yonasan ben [...]
“Just as Hashem had commanded Moses, so the Israelites had done all the work. And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks—as Hashem had commanded, so they had done—Moses blessed them.” (Shemos 39:42-43) When we speak in Loshen Hakodesh about accomplishing things, there are two words which seem to be interchangeable: Melacha [...]
“And they said to Moshe as follows, ‘The people are bringing more than enough for the labor of the work that Hashem has commanded them to perform’” (Shemos 36:5) I am often asked if it is worthwhile to donate to a particular charity. To determine the right response, I have to look at several factors. [...]
