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…
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…
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…
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…
Ki Tisa תשע"ט This year, in shuls around the world, Parashat Ki Tisa will be read on Shabbat two weeks in a row! This coming Shabbat, it will be read for the first time as the portion of the week.…
Parshat Tezaveh תשעט Parshat Tezaveh is the second of the Torah’s four portions that deal with the Tabernacle’s construction. Parshat Terumah, which we read last week, provided the instructions for the Tabernacle’s structure, its curtains, coverings and vessels for the…
Terumah תשע"ט The Tabernacle, that is, the portable sanctuary that accompanied the Jewish people during their 40-year trek in the wilderness, was built through the donations of the Jewish people who donated all of the necessary building materials. The Torah…
Mishpatim תשע"ט A משפט (mishpat- mishpatim is the plural) in the Torah refers to a specific type of law, one that is logical, such as don’t steal, or that one must pay damages for injuring someone. Mishpatim are common sense…
Yitro תשע"ט א) וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ כֹהֵן מִדְיָן חֹתֵן משֶׁה אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֱלֹקִים לְמשֶׁה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוֹ כִּי הוֹצִיא יְדֹוָד אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם 1) And Yitro, the Priest of Midyan, father in law of Moshe, heard all that Hashem did…
Parshat Beshalach תשע"ט The Jewish people left Egypt on the 15th of Nissan and travelled for seven days until they reached the Yam Suf (the Red Sea, or, more accurately, the Reed Sea). At that point, there was no where…