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 The Menora - Symbol of aTorah Jewish State .: Viewed: 2130 times :.
The 6 branches of the Menora symbolize the 6 days of the week, and the center stem represents Shabbat. Just as the 6 lights of the Menora were all inclined toward the center light, so too all week we should remain mindful of Shabbat, which is the central focus of the weekdays. When I was growing up in Brooklyn, there was a bumper sticker on many cars which read, "Hang in there, Shabbat is...
Published: May 28, 2015 |
Did Moshe Need a Tour Guide? .: Viewed: 2293 times :.
In Bamidbar 10 (v.29-34) we find a strange conversation between Moshe and his father in law. Moshe says to Yitro, here called Chovav, "We are heading for the Promised Land, and G-d will be good to us. Please come with us and share our goodness." Yitro, the former pagan Midianite, now a Ger Tzedek, refuses. He decides to return to his own country, Midian.
Moshe pleads with him, "Do...
Published: May 21, 2015 |
Why was the Torah Given in a Desert? .: Viewed: 2373 times :.
Why is Parshat Bamidbar always read on the Shabbat before Shavuot? On Shavuot, the Torah reading for the Festival also begins with a reference to Bamidbar, the Wilderness of Sinai. The entire episode of Shavuot takes place in the barren Sinai Peninsula. The verse in Bamidbar 21:18 states, "UMIMIDBAR MATANAH". The Talmud in Nedarim 55 explains this verse, "The gift of the Torah came out of the...
Published: May 12, 2015 |
The Torah's 5 Books & the 5 Levels of the Soul .: Viewed: 2084 times :.
Why does the Torah consist of 5 books? We can infer from the Zohar that the 5 Books of the Torah correspond to the 5 levels of the human soul. These levels of the soul are Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya and Yechida.
In the womb, the Divine soul is called Nefesh, from the root Nofash, resting, because before birth the soul has not yet been activated. At birth the soul is called Ruach which...
Published: May 5, 2015 |
The Shema – The Mystery of G-d's Justice .: Viewed: 2010 times :.
In the Bible and Talmud we find 2 very different approaches to the concept of G-d's reward and punishment. They are typified in the very different ways in which catastrophe is dealt with in the Book of Iyov and the Book of Eicha. In the Book of Iyov, the righteous and suffering Iyov questions, "How does G-d run the world? Where is His justice?" Iyov is told by G-d that the way G-d executes...
Published: April 29, 2015 |
The Mystical Meaning of the Sacrifices .: Viewed: 1911 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 |
Love your Friend as Yourself - Really? .: Viewed: 1911 times :.
This verse is one of the most mistranslated verses in the Torah. Can the Torah command something which is not humanly possible? Unlike other religions, that have fancy slogans not meant for the real world, Judaism is based on realty.
Thus, Rav Soloveitchik explains that this is not what the Hebrew verse actually says. It is all about knowing where to place the comas. For example, I had a...
Published: April 17, 2015 |
Baruch Hashem! - Does G-d Need Our Blessing? .: Viewed: 2815 times :.
What is so important about declaring, "Boruch Hashem"? The Rambam writes that public prayer begins with the Chazan saying Kaddish and Borchu (Hilchot Tefillah 9). If you think about it, "Borchu et Hashem" is a summons by the Chazan for the congregation to say "Boruch Hashem". The Rishonim explain that the Chazan adds "Hamevorach…" so as to include himself in the declaration that G-d is...
Published: March 18, 2015 |
Why Dim Pesach's Joy with Yizkor? .: Viewed: 2040 times :.
On each of the last days of the Shalosh Regalim, it is the Ashkenazi tradition that Yizkor be recited. It seems strange and paradoxical that a service of mourning and tears be included in the ritual of our joyous Festivals. Yom Kippur is an appropriate day for the Yizkor service. The serious mood of the Day of Atonement and the emotions of guilt, evoked by Yizkor, blend well together. So how...
Published: March 16, 2015 |
Pesach's Obsession with Food .: Viewed: 2131 times :.
Except for the Mitzva of telling the story of the Exodus, the rest of the Mitzvot of Pesach night are all about eating and drinking. In Temple times we were obligated to eat the Korban Pesach, and even today we must eat Matzoh and Maror and drink the Four Cups of Wine.
Why are we so busy eating and drinking during this special night of the Exodus? When we look at the other...
Published: March 12, 2015 |
The Timely Message of the Korban Pesach .: Viewed: 2034 times :.
The Torah's dietary laws of Kashrut and those that instruct us to remove all Chametz on Pesach and to eat Matzah, do not include instructions on whether our food is to be cooked or be roasted.
The only remarkable exception to this is the Halacha concerning the Korban Pesach. The Torah commands us to roast a lamb and to eat it on Pesach night. This had to be done in the days...
Published: March 9, 2015 |
Should the IDF Retire? .: Viewed: 2120 times :.
The Shas spiritual leader, Rabbi Shalom Cohen, stated recently that the Jewish People do not need an army. "Do you think that the people of Israel need an army?", Rabbi Cohen asked. "It is G-d Almighty Who fights for Israel."
I beg to differ with the illustrious Rabbi. It is true that during the Exodus, the struggle to free Israel was conducted entirely by G-d through miracles...
Published: March 2, 2015 |
The Half Shekel - Light My Fire .: Viewed: 2073 times :.
The Torah states, "This is what they shall give, all those who pass by the officers to be counted, – half a shekel…"(Shmot 30:13). Rashi quotes the Midrash that G-d showed Moshe a coin made of fire weighing half a shekel and told him, "This is how you shall give." The half shekel was made of silver, so why did G-d not show Moshe a silver coin?
The Baal Shem Tov...
Published: February 23, 2015 |
Mordecai – The Proud, Unique Jew .: Viewed: 1958 times :.
Why does the Megilah say, "A Jewish man was in the capital of Shushan, and his name was Mordecai", when there were many Jews living in Shushan at that time?
The commentators on the Megillah explain that many Jews fled Shushan for fear of Haman, Mordecai was one of the few who did not. Rabbi Yonasan Eibeschutz disagrees with this interpretation. As we see, later on in the Megilah, Esther...
Published: February 18, 2015 |
Our Personal Mishkan .: Viewed: 1772 times :.
How can we, flesh and blood human beings, create a physical location which is a worthy residence for G-d's Divine Presence?
Can a mere mortal build a physical place in this material world for the Almighty Who is Infinite? Yet, that is exactly what G-d commands us in Shmot 25, "And they shall make Me a Sanctuary, and so I will dwell in their midst."
The Talmud explains that Bezalel, who...
Published: February 11, 2015 |
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