Vaetchanan 5782

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…

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Tisha B’Av 5782

 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…

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Parshat Pinchos 5782

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…

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Parsha Balak 5782

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…

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Parshat Chukat 5782

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…

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Parshat Korach 5782

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…

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Parsha Shelach 5782

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…

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Parshat Bahaalotecha 5782

Parshat BeHaalotecha This week’s Torah reading begins with Hashem instructing Aharon the High Priest on how to light the Menorah as part of the daily Tabernacle service. When lighting the Menorah, Aharon had to position both the three wicks on the right…

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