Parshat Reeh תשפ"ב This week’s portion discloses the secret to becoming wealthy. (It’s the oldest get rich scheme in the book!) The verse says (Deuteronomy 14:22): כב) עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר אֵת כָּל תְּבוּאַת זַרְעֶךָ הַיֹּצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה שָׁנָה שָׁנָה 22) You shall surely tithe the…
Parashat Ekev תשפ"ב In this week’s portion, Ekev (Deuteronomy 7:12-16), Hashem promises the Jewish people that if they keep the Torah, He will guarantee that all material matters will be perfect. (יב) וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן אֵת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָאֵלֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם…
Vaetchanan תשפב The Talmud (Makot 23b) teaches us that Hashem gave the Jewish people 613 מצות - commandments. דרש רבי שמלאי שש מאות ושלש עשרה מצות נאמרו לו למשה ...אמר רב המנונא מאי קרא תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה תורה בגימטריא שית מאה…
Tisha B’av תשפ"ב Next Sunday, August 7, the Jewish people will observe Tisha B’av - the 9th of Av, a fast day. On this date many years ago, both Holy Temples were destroyed. Throughout history, other cataclysmic events also occurred on that…
Matot – Masei תשפב This Shabbat we will read the last two portions in the book of Numbers, Matot and Masei. Before Moshe died, Hashem let him see the Land of Israel that he so desperately wanted to enter. As the…
Pinchos תשפב Hashem chose Moshe to lead the Jewish people and to take them out of Egypt. In Exodus, the Torah shares various incidents about Moshe that clearly show us Moshe’s sterling character and what made him the quintessential leader. From…
Balak תשפב When travelling by plane, it is customary to acknowledge your seat-mate when taking your seat, and maybe to say a word or two as you deplane. Conversation between seat-mates during flight is uncommon, perhaps, because people have come to…
Parshat Chukat תשפ"ב This week’s Torah reading is Chukat (that word, in the construct state, has the literal translation of “the edict of”). The portion begins with the words, זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה - This is the edictחק) -chok) of the Torah, implying that it is the ultimate edict of all…
Parshat Korach תשפ"ב This week’s portion, Korach, details the events of Korach and his 253 compatriots’ rebellion against Moshe and Aharon (Numbers 16:1,2): א) וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח בֶּן יִצְהָר בֶּן קְהָת בֶּן לֵוִי וְדָתָן וַאֲבִירָם בְּנֵי אֱלִיאָב וְאוֹן בֶּן פֶּלֶת בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן…
Shelach תשפא Just twenty days shy of a year from the Jewish people’s arrival at Mount Sinai, they began their journey to the promised land, Israel. During that time, the nation had received the Torah, built the Tabernacle, and each tribe…