Was That Me?
“And Miriam was shut out from the camp for seven days: and the people did not journey until Miriam was brought in again.” (Bamidbar 12:15) In our everyday experiences, we encounter a mix of positive and negative events. Many of us reflect on these occurrences, trying to determine if Hashem [...]
Keep it Going
“He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the crown of his God is upon his head.” (Bamidbar 6:7) There are many different ways of approaching challenges, and especially as to how to use [...]
Sleepless Nights
As we know, Shavuos is the time that we celebrate receiving the Torah. The luchos habris were the physical expression of our bond with Hashem. However, that original article of our connection was destroyed by Moshe Rabbeinu shortly thereafter. It took us a few months to receive a second set. [...]
Rising to the Occasion
“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 [...]
Proud to be Jewish
“…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 [...]
A Charge from Shabbos
“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 [...]
Sweeter Than Revenge
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 [...]
Quiet Alone
“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) [...]
You Are What You Eat
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 [...]
Make His Will, Your Will
“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 [...]
Heeding the Call
“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 [...]
Ultimate Execution
“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 [...]
The Power of Giving
“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 [...]
Passing it Forward
“The Children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time.” (Shemos 31:16) The Jews who came to America before the Second World War firmly believed that they would continue to be religious Jews on this foreign soil. Many of them [...]
Using Your Brain
“Aharon carried the names of Bnei Yisrael on the breastplate on his heart, when he came into the Holy place, as a remembrance in front of Hashem forever.” (Shemos 28:29) The two pieces of the Kohein Gadol’s clothing that the Torah speaks the most about are the Choshen (breastplate) and [...]
On Fire
“You shall make a Menorah of pure gold…” (Shemos 25:31) Chazal tell us that Moshe Rabbeinu had difficulty understanding how to make the Menorah. Because of this, Hashem told Moshe to throw the gold into the fire and the Menorah came out ready-made (Rashi ibid). Chazal also tell us that [...]
The Right Approach
“These are the guidelines that you shall set before them” (Shemos 21:1) In Parshas Beshalach, there is a reference to the mitzvos which were given to bnei Yisrael in Mara. One of those mitzvos was the mitzvah of judging people’s monetary disputes in a court (dinim). Here, right after accepting [...]
Leveling Up
“Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law; he bowed and kissed him and he asked him how he was doing…” (Shemos 18:7) The above verse doesn’t specify whether it was Moshe who bowed to and kissed Yisro, or Yisro who bowed to and kissed Moshe. The midrash proves that Moshe [...]