Behar-Bechukotai 5770-2010
"Making a Reckoning"
How does the Torah regard the rights and property of non-Jews? In parashat Behar we learn of a remarkable law that protects the rights of a non-Jew even in a situation where the welfare and security of a Jew might be thought to override those rights.
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Emor 5770-2010
"Striving For Perfection"
Much of parashat Emor speaks of holiness, faultlessness, striving for perfection and the proper observance of the holy days. Have we lost the desire to reach perfection in the modern world?
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Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5770-2010
"Loving Thy Neighbor"
The Torah's statement bidding the Jewish people to love one's neighbor as oneself is universally regarded as one of the greatest pronouncements of human morality. Nevertheless, it has been the subject of much vitriolic criticism.
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Shemini 5770-2010
"The Show Must Go On"
Moses and Aaron disagree over whether the Rosh Chodesh sin offering should have been brought on the heels of the great tragedy that befell Aaron with the loss of his two sons. The debate has to do with whether the "show" must always go on, and under what circumstances should it go on. What are the key differences between the positions of Moses and Aaron on this issue?
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Tazria-Metzorah 5770-2010
"The Human Animal"
The rabbis are perplexed as to why the laws of childbirth follow the laws of kosher and non-kosher animals. Shouldn’t laws pertaining to humans come first?
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Passover 5770-2010
"The Festival of Liberation"
The care, some would say, obsessive concern, with which Jews try to avoid chometz is widely acknowledged. If that is the case, why has matzoh not been prohibited, since it embodies the exact ingredients found in chometz?
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Tzav 5770-2010
"The Command"
Only with respect to the Olah, the burnt offering, does the Torah use the term "Tzav," command, rather than "say" or "speak." What is it about the burnt offering and the priests' relationship to it that requires the priests to be commanded to do this particular service properly and expeditiously?
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Vayikra 5770-2010
"Do Leaders Corrupt, or are They Corrupted?"
The first sin offering that is recorded in parashat Vayikra is the offering of the anointed priest. Regarding this sacrifice, an unresolved dispute comes to the surface, raising the issue of whether it is the leaders who lead the people astray or whether leaders are corrupted by their followers.
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Vayakhel-Pekudei 5770-2010
"Heaven Helps Those Who Help Themselves"
The biblical verse announcing the completion of the building of the Tabernacle describes the Tabernacle as if it had erected itself, and also that it had been erected by the people. This conflict is resolved by the rabbinic interpretation, which concludes that the Al-mighty helped the people build the complex structure, but because of the people's uncommon devotion, attributed the entire building to the people.
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Kee Tisah 5770-2010
"Moses Wrestles with G-d"
When Moses descends from the mountain after spending forty days and nights with G-d, he finds the people of Israel worshiping the Golden Calf. G-d wants to destroy the people and start a new nation from Moses. Moses argues fiercely with G-d. What is the nature of the argument?
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Tetzaveh 5770-2010
"The Central Role of the Golden Altar and the Incense"
The order of the Tabernacle furnishings in the text of the Torah is rather perplexing. All the furnishings are listed together, with the exception of the Golden Altar. What was so special about the Golden Altar that warranted that it be listed separately?
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Terumah 5770-2010
"Earning a Meaningful Living"
The vital message of the Shulchan, the Table of Showbread, is that not only do our prayers and our worship need to be sanctified. Our work, our labor and our means of earning a living need to be sanctified as well.
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Mishpatim 5770-2010
"The Blessing of Health"
In this week's parasha, G-d promises to remove illness from our midst and to fill the number of our days. Could it be that this incredible promise is being fulfilled in our own lifetimes?
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Yitro 5770-2010
"The Arrival of Jethro"
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, who was once the religious leader of Midian, leaves fame and fortune behind to cast his lot with the Jewish people and their G-d. Jethro, perhaps the first convert to Judaism, sets a high standard for future converts and returnees to Jewish observance.
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B’shalach 5770-2010
"Va'chamushim - Armed or Otherwise"
When the enslaved Israelites finally leave Egypt, Scripture tells us that they leave "Chamushim," generally translated as armed. The commentators, however, offer many interpretations for the word Chamushim. Even though they are quite different from one another, each interpretation has much validity.
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Bo 5770-2010
"Finding Favor in the Eyes of the Egyptians"
The Torah reports that G-d caused the Jews to find favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. What was the purpose of this act, and what was its effect upon both the people of Israel and the Egyptians?
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Va’eira 5770-2010
"Shortness of Breath and Hard Work"
The Bible states that the ancient Israelites could not hear Moses' favorable message of G-d's impending salvation due to "shortness of breath and hard work." What does this mean? And what are the implications for contemporary times?
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Shemot 5770-2010
"In Those Days, In These Times"
In a single generation, unbridled adulation for Joseph turns into the enslavement of the entire Jewish people. How did it happen? Are Jews possibly facing a similar future in North America today?
0 Comments9 Minutes
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