Two core themes of this week’s Parsha are the Jewish nation’s reward for remaining committed to their mission and also the curses that will befall them if they don’t. Every few centuries Jewish history repeats itself. It goes something like this: We are given freedom in a country or region and we prosper. We set […]
Messages from 2022 (Page 2)
Imagine a woman getting promoted to management and being given a personal assistant. One day an old friend visits the office and the recently promoted manager wants to indicate her new status, and the power it wields. She calls in her assistant and asks her to bring a cup of coffee. When the assistant leaves […]
A great deal of this week’s Parsha deals with matters pertaining to Kohanim, the decedents of Aaron. “Priests” is usually the English translation but there’s no appropriate terminology to describe this unique group of people whose task it is to perform the service in Jerusalem’s ancient Temple as well as being teachers for the Jewish people. […]
The Talmud mentions an incident involving a gentile who came before the sage Hillel and said, Convert me to Judaism on the condition that you will teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot. Hillel told him: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the entire […]
The main topic addressed in this week’s Parsha is a condition called tzarat. Although it is generally translated as “leprosy,” other than the fact that it is a painful skin ailment, its exact nature is unknown to us and has not existed for thousands of years. It was not an airborne virus and it is the only […]
[From tonight until after Shabbat we observe the final two days of Passover, a time commemorating the Splitting of the Sea.] Recently, a crew of four private citizens traveled to the International Space Station. Three of them, including one Israeli, each paid $55 million to go on this trip. The fourth, Former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría […]
Most Jews have been attending a Passover Seder as long as they can remember and therefore it’s a challenge to view it anew as an adult, with an educated and mature mind. The complaint against the wicked son is that he removes himself from being a part of the Jewish people. That’s true, but it […]
Creating PossibilitiesThis week’s Parsha continues discussing the harmful effects of lashon hara, senseless negative speech. Many people don’t take speech seriously, speaking about others without regard for their feelings or the potential damage it can cause. King Solomon wrote, Life and death are in the hands of the tongue. One explanation is that negative talk has the ability to […]
The main topic addressed in this week’s Parsha is a condition called tzarat. Although it is generally translated as “leprosy,” other than the fact that it is a painful skin ailment, its exact nature is unknown to us and has not existed for thousands of years. It was not an airborne virus and it is the only […]
This week’s Parsha ends with a detailed discussion concerning the specifics for determining whether a fish, animal, or even insect is kosher. The exact names of the kosher birds are listed and in addition we are taught what characteristics a bird requires to be fit for Jewish consumption. Birds of prey are not kosher. What […]
Dear All,Due to Rabbi Oppenheim sitting Shiva, he has not written his weekly dvar Torah. Therefore, I have chosen one from the past that hopefully will provide food for thought. Sara Many productivity experts recommend a daily routine at the start of the day. They posit that the first few minutes of your day are […]
Margin/märjən/the edge or border of something. Although margins are important for books, we don’t talk enough about the need to leave space for margins in life. In The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients, Irvin Yalom, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Stanford, says that he never schedules back […]
Lessons from Dunkin DonutsAnd they brought the Mishkan (Tabernacle) to Moses…When all the parts of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) had been made, they were brought to Moses, who actually stood the walls up and erected the Mishkan. Rashi quoting the Midrash explains that due to the massive weight of the materials, none of the people were able to raise it up, so they brought […]
This year’s Winter Olympics were about many things besides athletic competition. Many people weren’t enthusiastic because they didn’t want to legitimize a host country committing human rights atrocities. For those who did tune in, questions of national allegiances, drug use and yes, COVID, dominated the headlines. And, of course, there was the question of youth, […]
A Great Winter Experience for Wealthy People After being liberated from Egypt and witnessing the Sinai experience, the Jews build a Golden Calf. Volumes have been written on this subject but we will discuss one seemingly small part of the story. Now it came to pass when he (Moses) drew closer to the camp and saw the […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha : Tetzaveh(Exodus 27:20-30:10) Diamond in the Rough You shall place both stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, remembrance stones for the Children of Israel. (Exodus 28:12) Moses was commanded to make garments for the Cohen Gadol—‘high priest.’ Included in these was a piece of clothing similar to an apron called the ephod. It […]
This week’s Parsha gives instructions for building the Mishkan (Tabernacle), a portable synagogue designated as the place where the Almighty’s Presence would rest. They took it with them throughout their 40 year stay in the desert and rebuilt it in four different locations in the Land of Israel. The Jews fought many wars to take hold of […]
Linguists are at a loss to find an origin for the word bribe. It is first used in 14th century old French but it means “steal.” By mid-15th century its meaning had shifted to “gift given to influence corruptly.” No one knows where “bribe” came from or how it ultimately came to have the meaning we use today. […]
The first sentence in this week’s Parsha begins, “And Jethro, the priest of Midyan, THE FATHER-IN-LAW OF MOSES, heard…” The Torah explains that Yitro heard of the miraculous events surrounding the Exodus and the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Yitro, therefore, traveled to join the Jews and converted to Judaism.Several weeks ago, when we […]
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, being that Joseph had the Children of Israel swear to bring his bones out of Egypt with them saying, “G-d will surely remember you and you will bring up my bones from here with you. (Exodus 13:19) The Jews were about to leave Egypt and were busying themselves […]
Looking for a great topic for discussion at your Passover Seder? Consider a story that’s a staple in every Hebrew school. The people put blood from the Pascal Lamb on their doorposts so their homes would be spared from the plague of the firstborn.And I shall pass through Egypt on this night, and I shall […]