The Midrash enumerates three earthy components that were part of the Sinai experience. Three elements are associated with the giving of the Torah…fire, water, and desert. (Midrash Rabbah, 1:7) Lightning and flashes of fire were in the air when Moshe received the Torah (Exodus 19), the clouds dripped water while the Jews were at Mount […]
Messages from 2017 (Page 2)
What does an individual or society do when two virtues, both of which are necessary for a just life or society, are at odds with one another? For example, truth and kindness are both wonderful virtues but when adjudicating a case of theft, a judge would be called negligent if s/he tossed out the evidence […]
You shall not desecrate My Holy Name. I shall be sanctified amidst the children of Israel. I am the Lord Who sanctifies you. (22:32) There are two frequently mentioned concepts in classical Jewish literature; kiddush Hashem and chillul Hashem. Kiddush Hashem means that we should act in a fashion that reflects well upon Jews, Torah […]
“He’s so old that when he orders a three-minute egg, they ask for the money up front.” This gem from George Burns is one of the numerous jokes about aging but the sad part does not have to do with failing health, it is how old people are treated in our society. UCLA Professor Jered […]
Speak to the children of Israel, saying: When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male, she shall be tameh for seven days… If she gives birth to a female, she shall be tameh for two weeks. (Vayikra 12: 2, 5) Tumah (ritual impurity) is a spiritual status that impacts a person’s involvement in […]
Moses saw Elazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s two sons, offer a sacrifice. He became angry because he thought they had acted improperly. However, they were correct in their actions. Aaron intervened and humbly asked a question to clarify the matter. Moses then realized that he himself had made a mistake. And Moses heard (the point that […]
In 1922, in the small Russian town called Luban, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein asked the following question in a sermon: How can we celebrate freedom when we have been constantly persecuted, exiled, and harassed? Are we really free if we are denied equal rights and protection in the countries in which we live; how can Jews, […]
The Shabbos before Passover is called Shabbos Hagadol-the Great Shabbat. Many reasons are given for this nomenclature but what concerns us is that it has a special Haftorah. It is taken from one of the last books of the Bible, Malachi and opens with a verse that is the final sentence of the Amida (Silent […]
Margin When looking at a Torah scroll, there are many components that make it distinct from other ancient texts. One of the most obvious of which are the spaces found before and after paragraphs. Being as a Torah scroll is written without vowels or Cantillation marks (the special indicators of the accent and tune), it […]
After all donations given by the people for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) were collected, the tribal leaders gave their portion. The problem was that by that time, there was virtually nothing left to give because the people’s donations had covered almost all of the expenses. The only thing left were the stones on the breastplate of […]
There is a little know prohibition and although there is a dispute about its origin, all sources from the time of the Talmud onward agree that it is forbidden to count Jews. Some find the source in the beginning of this week’s Torah portion when Moses is instructed to collect a half shekel coin from […]
(In honor of Purim, a supplementary dvar Torah has been added.) Purim 5777-2017 (This dvar Torah, except for the title and conclusion, was written by Mois Navon, a Computer Engineer, who was a studying in Israel in 2008 at Yeshiva Mercaz HaRav when a Palestinian terrorist attacked and murdered 8 students and injured 11 others. […]
This week’s Torah portion deals with the commandment to build a Tabernacle in the wilderness. We encounter a textual difficulty in the first two verses: G-d spoke to Moses saying, “Take for Me a portion from everyone whose heart motivates him, you shall take my portion.” (25:1-2) A literal translation of the verse would read […]
AND these are the laws that you should place before them. (Exodus 21:1) This week’s Parsha is full of laws and must be understood in context. What is the significance of its being placed immediately after the exhilarating Sinai encounter (last week’s Parsha) when its main content is law? There are obligations of an employer […]
People Hearing Without Listening Jethro, minister of Midian, father in law of Moses, heard all that G-d had done for Moses and for Israel, His people-that G-d had taken Israel out of Egypt. The verse above is followed by others that inform us that Jethro went into the wilderness to meet Moses, whom he had […]
What Did the Sea See? The week’s Torah portion begins with the Jewish people leaving Egypt. What was Moses doing at that time? Moses took the bones of Joseph with him… The Midrash states that the splitting of the sea was in the merit of these bones. This is hard to understand in light of […]
Feel the Fear Looking for a great topic for discussion at your Passover Seder? Consider a story you either learned in Hebrew school or we heard at a Passover Seder growing up. The people were told to put blood from the Passover offering (Pascal Lamb) on their doorposts so that their homes would be passed […]
We all know the story; Pharaoh did not listen, plagues came to Egypt. Hail, the last plague mentioned in this week’s Parsha, was going to be a hailstorm of unprecedented magnitude. Although the hail was extremely destructive, some of the animals survived. Which ones? The animals whose owners had followed Moses’ instructions to bring them […]
Trust or Narcissism? After being told by G-d to return to Egypt and command Pharaoh to release the Jews, Moses says: ‘Please G-d, I am not a man of words, also not since the day before yesterday, nor since You first spoke to Your servant; for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.’ […]
This week’s Torah reading is the conclusion of the book of Genesis. Jacob’s family has been reunited and before he dies, he blesses his children and grandchildren. Among those blessings is one that became a permanent fixture in Jewish life from that time forward. Jacob tells Joseph (Genesis 48:20) that in the future parents will […]
This week’s Parsha is the climax of the drama of Joseph and his brothers. His brothers still think the man before them is the Egyptian Viceroy and Yehuda(Judah), their leader, argues that the youngest brother, Benjamin, should not be taken as a slave. And Yehuda (Yehuda) approached (Joseph) and he said, ‘Please my master, allow […]