Kee Tisah 5775-2015
“Aaron, What Did This People Do To You?”
The biblical narrative seems to portray Aaron as a collaborator with the people of Israel in the sinful worship of the Golden Calf. Actually, Moses and Aaron play a very delicate balancing act of leadership in order to prevent the people from total destruction for their wayward ways.
0 Comments9 Minutes
Tetzaveh 5775-2015
“The High Priest Wears the Names of Israel on His Heart”
The commentators suggest that while the priestly vestments serve to identify a priest, they also represent important ideas and messages that are reflected in the garments and have bearing on the priests’ actions and duties.
0 Comments9 Minutes
Terumah 5775-2015
“The Sanctity of the Synagogue”
The great devotion that was required when building the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, and, in later years, the construction of the Beit Hamikdash, the holy Temples in Jerusalem, applies also to the sanctity of contemporary synagogues and houses of study.
0 Comments8 Minutes
Mishpatim 5775-2015
“Injuring a Fellow Human Being”
In parashat Mishpatim the Torah introduces the fundamental rules regarding instances of personal injury. In many instances, these ancient rules are practiced today and form the basis of jurisprudence in many contemporary legal systems.
0 Comments8 Minutes
Yitro 5775-2015
“I Shall Come to You and Bless You”
There are many important lessons to be learned from the verse in parashat Yitro: “Wherever I cause My Name to be mentioned, I shall come to you and bless you.”
0 Comments7 Minutes
B’shalach 5775-2015
“One Heart, as One Man”
Israel’s enemies have mastered the art of enmity. The most effective response to this enmity must be the unity of the People of Israel.
0 Comments9 Minutes
Bo 5775-2015
“The Intuitive Jew”
Since the thirst for the Al-mighty can never be fully sated, a Jew must strive to become an “Intuitive Jew.”
0 Comments7 Minutes
Va’eira 5775-2015
“The Measure of Brotherly Love”
Why does Scripture delve into the genealogy of Moses and Aaron with such detail?
0 Comments10 Minutes
Shemot 5775-2015
"Moses--The Mysterious Early Years"
The Torah narrative tells little about Moses’ formative years. Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, the extraordinary commentator and compiler, fills in many of the details of Moses’ life by gathering Midrashim from many sources, reconciling them and reconstructing the early years of the life of Moses.
0 Comments6 Minutes
Vayechi 5775-2014
“Jacob Remembers Rachel”
Although Joseph had already sworn to his father, Jacob, that he will bury his father in Canaan, Jacob unexpectedly raises the issue of Joseph’s mother, Rachel, and the fact that Jacob had failed to bury Rachel in the Machpelah Cave together with the other Matriarchs and Patriarchs.
0 Comments5 Minutes
Vayigash 5775-2014
"Joseph Calms His Brothers"
With his terrified brothers standing before him expecting the worst, Joseph not only reveals himself but gently and generously calms them, attempting to relieve them of feelings of guilt and vengefulness.
0 Comments10 Minutes
Mikeitz 5775-2014
“Why Did Joseph, the Viceroy of Egypt, Never Contact His Aged Father?”
Joseph had already served for nine years as the second most powerful person in Egypt when his brothers come to Egypt to buy food. Why hadn’t the all-powerful Joseph previously contacted his family in Canaan, or at least informed them of the impending famine?
0 Comments9 Minutes
Vayeishev 5775-2014
"Who Sold Joseph?"
The Biblical verses regarding the sale of Joseph conceal more than they reveal, leaving the answer to the question of who sold Joseph entirely ambiguous.
0 Comments11 Minutes
Vayishlach 5775-2014
“She Called His Name ‘Ben Oni’”
As Rachel’s life ebbs from her during the birth of her second son, she calls the child “Ben Oni.” Jacob rejects the name, and calls the child “Binyamin.” What is the difference in the meanings of the names?
0 Comments8 Minutes
Vayeitzei 5775-2014
“Twenty Years in the House of Laban”
The dream that Jacob dreams of a ladder set on earth leading up to heaven, with angels of G-d ascending and descending upon the ladder, provides Jacob with the necessary spiritual fortitude to endure and survive the twenty years that he spends in the house of Laban.
0 Comments7 Minutes
Toledot 5775-2014
“Good Families Bad Children, Bad Families Good Children”
Although Esau and Jacob were twin sons born to Isaac and Rebecca, each one developed very differently and chose a very different lifestyle from the other.
0 Comments8 Minutes
Chayei Sarah 5775-2014
“Are Marriages Made in Heaven?”
When Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, asks Laban and Bethuel, Rebecca's brother and father, whether they will allow Rebecca to return to Canaan to marry Abraham's son, they reply: "The matter stemmed from the L-rd! We can say to you, neither bad nor good." Are marriages made in heaven?
0 Comments10 Minutes
Vayeira 5775-2014
“One Woman’s Cry”
The Talmud states that because of the cries of one single young woman, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were entirely destroyed. We must attune our ears to hear and respond to the painful realities that many Jewish women face today.
0 Comments9 Minutes
Lech Lecha 5775-2014
“Lot Grows Increasingly Estranged from his Uncle Abram”
What starts off as an extremely close relationship between Abram and his orphaned nephew Lot, eventually becomes a complete estrangement. What was the cause of that estrangement?
0 Comments7 Minutes
Noah 5775-2014
“The Fate of Humankind is Sealed”
The question is asked widely among the commentaries: Why did thievery and robbery (Chah’mas) bring about the fateful decree of total destruction of Noah’s generation? After all, the people were corrupt in many aspects of life, perhaps all aspects of life.
0 Comments8 Minutes
Bereshith 5775-2014
“The Sad Destiny of the Firstborn Children”
A prominent feature of the book of Genesis is the struggle for dominance between the first born and the younger siblings. In each instance, the younger sibling is chosen to serve as leader.
0 Comments9 Minutes
Sukkot 5775-2014
“Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov’s Observations on the Sukkot Festival”
The great religious writer, Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov brings a unique perspective to understanding the festival of Sukkot, and the special relationship between the Al-mighty and Israel that developed after the Exodus from Egypt.
0 Comments9 Minutes
Yom Kippur 5775-2014
“The High Priest’s Dilemma–What to Wear on Yom Kippur?”
Why was it necessary for the High Priest to change from his golden garments to the white garments five times on Yom Kippur?
0 Comments8 Minutes
Haazinu-Rosh Hashana 5775-2014
“Invoking Heaven and Earth”
How does the humble, former-shepherd Moses have the audacity to call upon Heaven and Earth and enlist their services as witnesses to the words that he is about to speak?
0 Comments8 Minutes
Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5774-2014
“Repentance-With a Little Help from our Friend in Heaven!”
After numerous dreaded imprecations, the Torah predicts that the People Of Israel will repent and will be returned by G-d to their land. The Al-mighty even promises to assist the people in their process of repentance.
0 Comments7 Minutes
Kee Tavo 5774-2014
“Finding Respite”
After the horrors of the Holocaust were made public, many Jews were under the impression that with the establishment of the State of Israel, its miraculous rebirth and development, the perfidious scourge of anti-Semitism would somehow abate and eventually vanish. For a while there was, what seemed to be, a universal sensitivity. But, only sixty years later, that sensitivity has vanished, and there is now a virulent outbreak of anti-Semitism in countless countries throughout the world, even on the streets of New York and Los Angeles.
0 Comments6 Minutes
Kee Teitzei 5774-2014
“Restoring Lost Possessions--Revisited”
The mitzvah of returning a lost article is not a matter to be taken lightly. The Italian commentator Menachem Recanati argues that in certain instances restoring a person’s lost article can be the equivalent of restoring a person’s life.
0 Comments11 Minutes
Shoftim 5774-2014
“Justice--the Source of Security of the Land of Israel”
The fact that the Torah links the proper practice of justice by the Jewish people to the security of the land of Israel is of extreme importance, especially in light of the perils faced by the State of Israel today.
0 Comments8 Minutes
Re’eh 5774-2014
“Giving Charity Kindly and Generously”
The Torah introduced the revolutionary concept of charity to the world. Despite its virtually universal acceptance today, it was not always looked upon favorably in many societies.
0 Comments8 Minutes
Eikev 5774-2014
“No Reason to Glory!”
In parashat Eikev, the Torah warns the People of Israel not to glory in the success of their battles or their economic success. It is a most relevant message for contemporary times.
0 Comments7 Minutes