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…
Shavuot תשפא The sight of a bride and groom standing under the marriage canopy always moves us to feelings of hope and success for the new couple. We look on with anticipation for the special moment when the groom places the…
Behar – Bechukotai תשפא Once again, this Shabbat, we will read two portions, Behar and Bechukotai. The first verse in Behar begins in a peculiar way. It says (Leviticus 25:1): ספר ויקרא פרק כה א) וַיְדַבֵּר יְדֹוָד אֶל משֶׁה בְּהַר…
Parshat Emor תשפא This week’s parsha, Emor, contains the mitzvah to count the “omer.” We count 49 days from the second day of Pesach until the day before Shavuot, the day on which the Jewish people received the Torah on…
Acharei Mot -Kedoshim תשפא This coming Shabbath we will read the two Torah portions of אחרי מות and קדושים. In the second portion, Kedoshim, the Torah adjures us (Leviticus 19:18): (יח) לֹא תִקֹּם וְלֹא תִטֹּר אֶת בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ…
Tazriah - Metzorah תשפא This week’s Torah portions are replete with references to the concepts of טומאה - tumah and טהרה – tahara, what we call “spiritually unclean and spiritually clean.” These concepts have no parallel in the secular world,…
Sefirat Haomer – The Counting of the Omer When the Holy Temple stood, a daily sacrifice was brought every morning and evening. Our current morning prayer, שחרית - Shacharit, corresponds to, and substitutes for, that morning sacrifice, and מנחה -…
Pesach II תשפא As we approach Pesach 2021, it is impossible not to think about Pesach 2020. Covid 19 was very new, a cure or vaccine was nowhere in sight, and families and friends were forced to celebrate the holiday…
Pesach תשפא The Festival of Pesach is, by far, the Jewish calendar’s most celebrated holiday in. In terms of popularity, it trumps even Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the “High Holidays.” The theme of freedom that we celebrate on Pesach…
החודש - Shabbat HaChodesh On the last day of the month of Adar, just as the first sliver of the new moon signaling the beginning of Nissan appeared, Hashem taught Moshe and Aharon the Mitzvah of sanctifying the new month…