Shabbat Shekalim תשפב This Shabbat, the Shabbat that precedes Rosh Chodes Adar, the first day of Adar, is called שבת שקלים - Shabbat Shekalim, Shabbat of the coins. When the Holy Temple stood, the Jewish community – צבור - tzibur, was obligated to bring two sacrifices daily:…
Parshat Ki Tisa תשפא This week’s portion contains the sin of the golden calf. Because of its magnitude and the misunderstanding surrounding it, we need to look at the events through the eyes of our Sages to properly understand what happened.…
Parshat Tetzaveh תשפב Parshat Tezaveh is the second of the Torah’s four portions that deal with the construction of the portable tabernacle in the desert – the Mishkan. Parshat Terumah, which we read last week, contains the instructions for the Mishkan’s physical structure,…
Teruma תשפב Moshe descended Mount Sinai with the second set of tablets, engraved with the Ten Commandments, on the first Yom Kippur after the Jews came out of Egypt. The next day, Moshe commanded the people to bring their donations for…
Mishpatim תשפב After the Torah reading on a Monday or Thursday morning, while the Torah is still out, the congregation offers this prayer on behalf of our Jewish brethren who are in trouble. אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְֹרָאֵל. הַנְּתוּנִים בַּצָרָה וּבַשִׁבְיָה. הָעוֹמְדִים…
Parshat Yitro The Jewish people left Egypt on a Thursday, the 15th of Nissan. Seven days later they miraculously passed through the Reed Sea. From there they embarked on a 45-day trek to Mount Sinai, where they would forge the next…
Parshat Beshalach תשפב This Shabbat, on which we read the Torah portion ofבשלח (Beshalach), is called שבת שירה (Shabbat Shira),the “Shabbat of the Song,” because this sedra (portion) contains the song that the Jewish people sang to Hashem in appreciation for the salvation that they experienced from…
Parshat Bo תשפב On Rosh Hashanah this year, the Jewish calendar year changed from 5781 to 5782 (Rosh Hashanah means the “head of the year” or the beginning of the new year.) This number represents the years that have passed since…
Parshat Va'eira תשפב This week’s portion’s opening two verses contain four different holy names of Hashem. (ב) וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹקִים אֶל משֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי יְדֹוָד (ג) וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב בְּקֵל שַׁקָּי וּשְׁמִי יְדֹוָד לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם 2) Elo(k)him spoke to Moshe and…
Shemot תשפב This week begins the second book of the Torah, Shemot - Exodus, which opens with the Jewish people’s slavery and redemption from Egypt and concludes with the completion of the Tabernacle. As the story commences, Pharaoh had just decided to reduce…