Parshat Pekudei תשפ"ב This week’s portion has the Torah tallying the gold, silver, and copper used in the Tabernacle’s construction. But first, the Torah provides a lengthy introduction to the Tabernacle itself (Exodus 38:21,22): ספר שמות פרק לח כא) אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי…
Lying on my kitchen counter is an instrument that was produced by the hard work of over five million men and women. A marvel of international cooperation, its components come from dozens of countries. It is one of the most…
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:…
Hello Everybody, If you are one of those people who doesn’t venture out of the house out of fear of the heaven falling on you, don’t worry, you’ve got plenty of company. There have been people with such fears around…
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.…
This report of Partner’s trip to Panama was originally written in the winter of 2014. Please see the postscript for some updates. If you’re Jewish, chances are high that you’ve heard of Boca Raton. It’s a beautiful city of tidy…
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,…
One of the most dramatic thefts of the past thirty years was the decades-long attempt of Chinese manufacturers to steal the color white. You think white is easy, but white is actually extremely difficult to make, and is a multi-billion…