One of the causes for disappointment with the generation that left Egypt was their constant…
Naso: I Made a Mistake
Sefer Bamidbar is a book of missed opportunities. Mistake after mistake – by the people and the…
Shavuot: A Gift of the Omer
“And you shall count from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that you brought the [barley]…
Bamidbar: Between Yom Yerushalayim and Shavuot
We tend to associate the holiday of Shavuot with that of Pesach. One can cogently argue that…
Behar: Faith is Hard
It was not until the 8th century that the first list was compiled of the 613 mitzvot, opening up a…
Emor: Law and Justice
Sefer Vayikra has but two stories, that of the tragic deaths of Nadav and Avihu and the tragic…
Kedoshim: A Healthy Heart
Judaism is a religion of action. There is so much to do to improve oneself, one’s community and the…
Shemini: Counting to Eight
"And it was on the eighth day" (Vayikra 9:1). While this verse is the beginning of a new …
Yizkor Thoughts: Good or Comfortable
Seemingly, one of the more depressing debates in rabbinic literature is one that the houses of…
Vayikra: A Book of Love
“And He called to Moshe and G-d spoke to Moshe”. Noting the redundancy of this opening verse of the…
Pekudei: Timing is Everything
“In the first month of the second year on the first of the month, the Tabernacle was erected” (…
Vayakhel: A Different Time Zone
“And G-d spoke to Moshe to say to the Jewish people: Ach, however: my Sabbaths you are to keep! For…
Purim: Celebrating Community
In what surely is one of the strangest, shocking and surreal of teachings, our Sages have noted…
Tetzaveh: Pursuing Justice
“And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an efod, and a robe, and a…
Terumah: The First of Adar
The first of Adar is a very special day. “Just as when Av begins one decreases rejoicing, so too…
Mishpatim: The Ten Commandments
“And all the people saw the thunder, the lightning, and the sound of the shofar, and the mountain…
Yitro: Jealous and Jealous
Walk into almost any shul wherever one may be, and chances are one will see the “Ten Commandments[1…
Beshalach: Time for a Test
Along with the joy of teaching high school students comes the drudgery of marking tests – reading…