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 The Menorah - Light Up My Life! .: Viewed: 1266 times :.
Parshat Beha’alotcha begins with the Mitzva for the Kohen to light the Menorah daily, in the Mishkan and later on in the Beit HaMikdash even on Shabbat.
What is the message of the Menorah for us when we have no Mikdash? And we know that the Torah is G‑d’s GPS (G‑d’s Personal System) for us in the year 2020 and beyond.
The Mishna (Avot Ch. 4) teaches, "There are three...
Published: June 9, 2020 |
The Menorah's Eternal Message .: Viewed: 2687 times :.
What is the Chanukak menorah's message for us in our personal lives? The Mishna (Avot Ch. 4) teaches, "There are three crowns: The crown of Torah, the crown of kehuna (priesthood) and the crown of monarchy." Corresponding to these three, with which Israel were crowned, there were three crowns on the Temple vessels. The crown of Torah corresponds to the gold crown, which was set on the Ark of...
Published: December 21, 2005 |
The Message of Moshe’s Rod .: Viewed: 1438 times :.
G-d commands Moshe, “Take this rod in your hand, that you may perform the miraculous signs against Egypt with it” (Shmot 4:17).
Moshe carried the Rod of G-d in his hand. It was the instrument that initiated the various plagues which afflicted Egypt. One might think that this rod was only able to bring punishment and to exact retribution.
However, we see in the Torah that when...
Published: December 31, 2017 |
The Mishkan Altar - A Virtual Gan Eden .: Viewed: 1451 times :.
“G‑d tells Moshe, you must make the Altar of hollow planks of wood…” (Shemot 27:8) This Altar was situated in the Courtyard, outside the Mishkan itself. This wooden Altar was a hollow structure that was filled up with earth each time the Mishkan was set up.
Why did G‑d command that the Altar of Atonement should be filled up with earth? The Yerushalmi Nazir 7 and the...
Published: February 17, 2020 |
The Mishkan for today's world .: Viewed: 1532 times :.
The main function of the Mishkan (the portable Tabernacle we used in the desert) was to offer up animal sacrifices to Hashem. For many people, it is easier to relate to the narrative portions of the Torah and Mitzvot (the commandments) that apply in our day than to those dealing with the Temple sacrifices. The last sacrifices were offered in 68CE, before the Second Temple was destroyed. So why...
Published: March 21, 2017 |
The Mishkan’s Sacrificial Altar – Metaphor for the Human Being .: Viewed: 2853 times :.
The main function of the Mishkan is to offer up animal sacrifices to G-d. For many people, it is easier to relate to narrative portions of the Torah or Mitzvot that apply in our day than to those dealing with Temple sacrifices. The last sacrifices were offered in 68 C.E., before the Second Temple was destroyed. Thus many people would find it hard to conceive how the sacrificial system could...
Published: March 14, 2012 |
The Mitzva to Smile – Despite the Pain! .: Viewed: 1932 times :.
Despite the wave of brutal Arab Terror engulfing Israel, we must continue to observe Mitzvot. Just as it is a Mitzva to put on Tefilin, so it’s also a Mitzva to smile. The Torah in Bereshit Ch. 1 states, “ And G-d created the great Sea Monsters.” The Talmud in Bava Basra 74 explains that this verse refers to the Leviathan and its mate. Why did G-d create these enormous Sea...
Published: October 17, 2015 |
The Mitzvah to Redeem Captives: Symbol of The Entire Torah .: Viewed: 2555 times :.
Gilad Shalit has now been held captive for over 5 years by our "peace" partners. Throughout history, Jews have gone to remarkable lengths to retrieve their brethren from hostile hands. This mitzvah is referred to in rabbinic literature as "pidyon shivuyim" (redemption of captives). It is the only precept designated by the Talmud as a "mitzvah rabba" (great mitzvah). Its special status in...
Published: July 6, 2011 |
The Mysterious Red Cow .: Viewed: 1850 times :.
The laws concerning the Red Heifer are considered the most strange and mysterious of all 613 Mitzvot. How can the same ashes of the Red Heifer purify one and defile the other simultaneously?
The Midrash explains with the following parable that the Red Heifer is a Tikun for the sin of the Golden Calf. "A maidservant in the king's palace on the day that she could not find a babysitter brought...
Published: June 20, 2014 |
The Mystery of the Red Heifer .: Viewed: 2467 times :.
The laws concerning the Red Heifer have always been regarded as the most mysterious of the Torah's Mitzvot. Although this Mitzva has always been considered to be above human reason, attempts have nevertheless been made to interpret it.
The Midrash states that the reason why a heifer is chosen is that it should atone for Israel's sin in worshipping the golden calf. Let the mother cow clean...
Published: May 24, 2011 |
The Mystical Meaning of the Sacrifices .: Viewed: 1745 times :.
Sefer Vayikra is taken up with sacrificial laws and rituals. For many people, it is easier to relate to narrative portions of the Torah or Mitzvot that apply in our day than to those dealing with Mishkan sacrifices. The last sacrifices were offered in 68 C.E., before the Second Temple was destroyed. Many people would find it hard to conceive how the sacrificial system could actually be...
Published: April 23, 2015 |
The Origin of the Blood Libel .: Viewed: 2212 times :.
We Jews have been accused of various heinous crimes throughout our long and tragic history. Perhaps, the most devastating accusation we have faced is the blood libel - murdering Christian children and then using their blood for baking Matzoh on Pesach. Of course, this vile accusation is absolutely ludicrous and false. The Torah warns us many times never to taste any blood. We are halachically...
Published: October 16, 2013 |
The Pope and King David's Tomb .: Viewed: 2043 times :.
Why did the Pope come to King David's Tomb on Mount Zion? MK Nissim Zeev of Shas stated that Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef told him that the Prime Minister's Bureau asked him for Halachic permission for Israel to hand over the Tomb of King David to the Vatican. The Chief Rabbi told the Prime Minister's Bureau that it is of course strictly prohibited to transfer King David's Tomb to the...
Published: June 13, 2014 |
The Problem of Yichud In Adoption .: Viewed: 2444 times :.
One of my students asked my advice about adopting a baby girl. His question has inspired me to write this article.
Halacha has very strict regulations restricting physical contact between members of the opposite sex. Halacha rules that a man and a woman not married to each other are not to be secluded in a room. It also prohibits an unmarried couple from engaging in any physical...
Published: November 29, 2015 |
The Rabbis' Seder – For Men Only? .: Viewed: 3119 times :.
"It happened that Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar Ben-Azarya, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarphon were reclining in Bnei Brak. They were discussing the Exodus from Egypt all that night, until their students came and told them: 'Our Rabbis! The time has come for reciting the morning Shema!'"(Pesach Haggadah). This story is read by all Jews on Pesach at the Seder. At first sight, it is a...
Published: February 26, 2013 |