A Jew must pray three times a day, morning, evening, and night. The source of this law is the subject of an argument in the Talmud (Berachot 26b). One opinion holds that the forefathers originated the prayers, viz, Avraham instituted…
Toldos תשפ"ג Yitzchak and Rivka had been married for 20 years and had yet to be blessed with a child. To seek to remedy the problem, they stepped up their prayers and began beseeching Hashem. The Torah tells us that Yitzchak…
Chayei Sarah תשפ"ג Yitzchak was 40 years old, and it was time for him to get married and continue the legacy that Avraham had begun. Avraham then lived in Canaan; an area inhabited by the descendants of Noach’s grandson Canaan. Because…
Parshat Vayeira תשפ"ג It was Pesach, the 15th of Nissan, and, just three days earlier, Avraham, now 99 years old, had circumcised himself upon Hashem’s command. In those days, sterile conditions were unavailable, and by the third day it was common to…
Lech Lecha תשפ"ג The Mishna in Pirkei Avot (5:3) tells us that Hashem tested our forefather Abraham (“Avraham Avinu”) - - with 10 tests, and he passed them all. One of the tests was the command in this week’s portion to leave his…
Noach תשפ"ג The Prophet Yirmiyah [Jeremiah] (1 Kings 8:2) called the Hebrew month of Tishrei “ירח האתנים“ the Mighty Month. One of the reasons for this designation is the powerful, life-changing holidays that engage us for most of the month. Its first day, Rosh Hashana,…
Days of Awe תשפ"ג We stand today at the beginning of the High Holiday season. (For scheduling purposes, next week at this time we will be in Shul reciting Rosh Hashanah prayers. The following week will be Yom Kippur eve, and…
Rosh Hashanah The Torah (Deuteronomy 29:1) calls Rosh Hashanah “יום תרועה” a day of “teruah.” The exact meaning of the word “teruah” is a mystery, and a bit of detective work was necessary to define it. The first step was…
Ki Teitzei תשפ"ב Moshe took a mere thirty-six days to teach the entire book of Deuteronomy to the Jewish people. As we near the book’s end, Moshe’s death and the transition to Yehoshua’s leadership is only days away. This means that…
Parashat Shoftim תשפ"ב The first verse in this week’s portion (Deuteronomy 16:18) instructs us: (יח) שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֶּן לְךָ בְּכָל שְׁעָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר יְדֹוָד אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ לִשְׁבָטֶיךָ וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת הָעָם מִשְׁפַּט צֶדֶק 18) Judges and policemen you shall appoint in all…