This week, because of the way that the calendar works, we read a double portion, Acharei Mot and Kedoshim (last year, for example, they came out on separate weeks). The third verse in Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:3) tells us: (ג) אִישׁ…
This coming Shabbat, two portions – Tazriah and Metzorah - will be read in Shul. The main topic of these two portions is the מצורע - “metzorah,” one who is stricken with the malady -צרעת “tzaraat” (or tzaraas). The usual…
When the Holy Temple stood, a daily sacrifice was brought every morning and evening. The morning prayer שחרית - Shacharit corresponds to and substitutes for the morning sacrifice and מנחה - Mincha, the afternoon service, corresponds and substitutes for the…
This booklet may be used at your seder to help understand the Haggadah. This coming Saturday night, the 15th day of Nissan, we will all be sitting at the first Pesach seder celebrating the Passover holiday. Some of us will…
On the last day of the month of Adar some 3,500 years ago, as the first sliver of the new moon signaling the beginning of the new month Nissan appeared, Hashem taught Moshe and Aharon the mitzvah of sanctifying the…
This week’s portion Vayakhel follows on the heels of Parshat Ki Tisa, the portion that relates the story of the golden calf. A brief overview of the events leading up to where we are now will give us a greater…
Our Sages have revealed a deep and profound insight into human nature: אדם נפעל כפי פעולותיו A person’s character is shaped by his actions This means that a person’s day-to-day deeds profoundly affect his character. The 13th century Sefer Hachinuch,…
The month of Adar has begun, and we are commanded to increase our happiness! The Talmud says (Taanit 29a): אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת משמיה דרב: משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה Rabbi Yehuda the son of Rav Shmuel…
The Mishkan (Tabernacle) - the portable sanctuary that accompanied the Jewish people during their 40-year trek in the wilderness - was built with the donations of the Jewish people who donated all of the necessary building materials. The Torah tells…
And Parshat Mishpatim starts in a peculiar way. The Hebrew text (Exodus 21:1) begins with a “ו“, which translates as “And,” a word usually used to connect two ideas or concepts. But this is the beginning of a new portion!…