Parshat Emor 5779

Emor תשע"ט The Counting of the Omer and the Authority of the Sages Around the year 235 BCE, Tzadok and Baytus, students of Antignos Ish Socho, misunderstood their teacher to say that there is no reward in the world to…

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Parshat Kedoshim 5779

Kedoshim תשע"ט                 The famous, oft-quoted, verse from the Torah, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” is found in this week’s portion. Yet, a brief internet search for the words, “love thy neighbor as thyself,” repeatedly yields the following result: [37]…

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Parshat Achrei Mot 5779

Acharei Mot תשע"ט A curious verse in this week’s portion (Leviticus 18:5) informs us: ה) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם אֲנִי יְדֹוָד: 5) You shall observe My decrees and My laws, which people shall…

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Pesach II 5779

Pesach II   תשע"ט The Pesach holiday which commemorates the release of the Jewish nation from 210 years of slavery in Egypt is celebrated in the month of Nissan. Nevertheless, we are commanded to remember the Exodus from Egypt twice each…

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Pesach 5779

Pesach The Festival of Pesach is, by far, the most celebrated holiday in the Jewish calendar. In terms of popularity, it trumps even Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the “High Holidays.” The theme of freedom that we celebrate on Pesach…

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Shabbat HaChodesh 5779

Shabbat HaChodesh תשע"ט This Shabbat is called “Shabbat HaChodesh,” which translates as “Shabbat of the month.” Shabbat of the month? What could that mean? On the last day of the month of Adar, just as the new moon of Nissan…

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Parshat Shmini 5779

Shemini תשע"ט Despite its many “stories,” the Torah is not a story book, their inclusion coming to teach us many important lessons. Often, the lesson is obvious, while sometimes it is deep beneath the surface. One of the most difficult…

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Purim 5779

Purim תשע"ט In the year 2448 from Creation, the Jewish people received the Torah on Sinai. (We are now in year 5779.) Because the Purim miracle happened some 955 years later, the holiday is not mentioned in the Torah. Yet…

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Parshat Pekudei 5779

Parshat Pekudei תשע"ט This week’s portion has the Torah tallying the gold, silver, and copper used in the Tabernacle’s construction. But before it gets there, it provides a lengthy introduction to the Tabernacle itself (Exodus 38:21,22): ספר שמות פרק לח…

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Parshat Vayakhel 5779

Parshat Vayakhel תשע"ט Parshat ויקהל  - Vayakhel describes in detail how the artisan Betzalel and his helpers executed each of the instructions of how to build the Tabernacle and its components. Having been conceived by Hashem, it is reasonable to…

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