The Mishkan (Tabernacle) was the portable place of worship for the Jews in the wilderness and the precursor to the Temple (Beit Hamikdash) that King Solomon would build hundreds of years later in Jerusalem. After its completion, there was a seven-day ceremony in which the clergy was installed into their sacred office. At the end of each […]

Imagine a college freshman who is away from home for the first time; the feeling of freedom sets in immediately. He can finally party, drink, and do other activities whenever he likes but he isn’t mature in how he uses his new autonomy (Is this fiction? A May 30, 2013 article in the Harvard Crimson […]

G-d spoke to Moses saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them:       May G-d bless you and watch over you.                                     May G-d cause His countenance to shine to you and favor you.                                             May G-d raise His countenance toward you and grant you […]

The Mishkan (Tabernacle) was the portable place of worship for the Jews in the wilderness and the precursor to the Temple (Beit Hamikdash) that King Solomon would build hundreds of years later in Jerusalem. Due to the unusual structure and language employed in the Torah to describe the day of the Tabernacle’s completion, Rashi explains […]

(There is a new feature at the end of this dvar Torah. It is a short prayer and meditation suggestion on based on the dvar Torah.) One of the most controversial topics in the Torah is the Sotah, the suspected adulteress. Adultery is an equal opportunity misdeed; both men and women are commanded not to […]