Symbols play an important part in helping to define who we are. Our clothing, for example, is often symbolic of the social milieu with which we…
Terumah: A Giving Heart
In his introduction to Pirkei Avot, the Rambam distinguishes between those mitzvot which we are to observe because we want to and those we should…
Terumah: Working Together
The Torah is a description of the relationship between G-d and man, and between G-d and the Jewish people. The Torah begins with G-d’s creation of…
Terumah: Child's Play
Judaism sees the sparks of the Divine within the most mundane of activities. Revelation at Sinai is followed by a series of laws dealing with such…
Terumah: It's all in the Details
Symbols play a crucial role in self and group identification and affect almost everything we do. Be they roses or a diamond ring, symbols can…
Terumah: Returning Home
The prayer for the welfare of the State of Israel recited in many of our congregations assumes that the modern-day state is the "beginning of…
Terumah: A Lighter Load
The story is told that when the students of Rav Yisrael Salanter were preparing to bake matzah, they asked Rav Yisrael what they should be most…
Terumah: Volunteers Needed
Immediately after the Divine revelation at Sinai, the Torah in Parshat Mishpatim presents a long list of mitzvoth, highlighting the link between…
Terumah: Golden Surroundings
One of the fiercest debates amongst medieval biblical commentaries was the extent to which parts of the Torah might be allegorical. The Ramban (…
Terumah: The Moving Ark
Just as the Shabbat is the pinnacle of physical creation, the Mishkan is the pinnacle of spiritual creation. The Exodus and the revelation at Sinai…