Parshat Vaetchanan This week’s portion, ואתחנן - Vaetchanan, which means “and I implored,” seems to begin in the middle of nowhere. Following the description in the end of the previous portion of how the Jewish people decimated the two…
Tisha B’Av Napoleon once passed a shul in Paris on Tisha B’Av. Hearing crying and wailing coming from inside and thinking that there was something terrible going on, he stepped inside to see what he could do to help. What…
Parshat Matot – Masei תשע"ח In this week’s double portion, (depending on the year and on what days the holidays fall out, sometimes two weekly portions are read together) Hashem charges Moshe with his final task: retaliation against the…
Parshat Pinchas תשע"ח This week’s portion begins with Hashem praising Pinchas for the zealous act that he performed at the end of last week’s portion, Balak. Pinchas’s conduct appeased Hashem’s anger and stopped the plague that had begun. Hashem rewarded…
Parshat Balak תשע"ח This week’s portion, Balak, introduces us to בלעם - Bilam, history’s only legitimate non-Jewish prophet. Although many others claim to have had a prophecy, hence, so many religions in the world, they are all impostors. How so?…
Parshat Chukat תשע"ח In this week’s portion, Chukat, the Torah relates the incident for which Moshe and Aharon were punished and not permitted to enter the promised land, Israel. It all started when the water supply for the Jewish…
Parshat Korach תשע"ח This week’s portion details the events of Korach’s rebellion, along with his 253 compatriots, against Moshe and Aharon (Numbers 16:1,2): ספר במדבר פרק טז א) וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח בֶּן יִצְהָר בֶּן קְהָת בֶּן לֵוִי וְדָתָן וַאֲבִירָם בְּנֵי…
Parshat Shlach תשע"ח The Jewish people had been camped at Mount Sinai since the 1st of Sivan. Almost a full year later, on the 20th of Iyar, ten days short of the anniversary of their arrival at Mount Sinai, the…