Parshas Emor – The Torah’s system of Self Perfection

“A cow or a sheep, it and its child, do not slaughter on one day.” Vayikrah 22:28 In one of the many mitzvahs that teaches us how to deal with animals, the Torah commands us not to kill a mother and its offspring on one day.   The Sefer HaChinuch explains that one of the [...]

Parsha Achrei Mos

Systems of Human Perfection “And a man from the house of Israel, and from the converts who live with you, who shall consume any blood, I shall place My face against the soul of the one who consumed blood, and I shall cut it off from amongst your nation.” Vayikrah” 17: 10 The Torah warns [...]

Parshas Metzorah – Warning: Loshon Horah Kills!

Warning: Loshon Horah Kills! Parshas Metzorah While traveling from city to city selling his wares, a peddler approached the city of Tzipori and called out in a loud voice, “Who wants to buy the potion of life? Who wants life?” A crowd gathered around him. Rebbe Yanni heard the commotion and stood by watching. When [...]

Parshas Shemini – Food for the Soul

“ Tell Bnei Yisroel, “These are the creatures you should eat.” Vayikrah 11:2” When the Torah introduces the animals that we may and may not eat, it uses the expression “chaya.” Rashi explains this as a play on the word “chay,” meaning, “you should live.” He explains this according to the Medrash Tanchuma:   The [...]

Pesach – The Season of Emunah

“When you enter the Land of Israel, you will enjoy prosperity and abundance. You will build beautiful homes. Your crops and livestock will increase. You will amass gold and silver. And all that you engage in will flourish… If you become arrogant and say, ‘My strength and the might of my hand made this wealth.’” [...]

Pesach – Kindliness is G-dliness

And Pharaoh sent for Moshe and Aharon and said to them, ‘I have sinned this time. HASHEM is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.” — Shemos 9:27 After months and months of rebellion, Pharaoh finally admitted that he was wrong. The Dos Zakainim explains that the makkah of barad moved Pharaoh more than [...]

Parshas Tzav – HASHEM and Man: Master and Servant

Parshas Tzaveh “The Kohain shall don a garment of linen, and he shall don linen breeches on his skin, and he shall remove the ashes.” — Vayikra 6:3 One of the daily activities in the Mishkan was taking out the ashes. The Chovos Ha’Levavos explains that HASHEM commanded Aaron to do this action each day [...]

Parshas Ha Chodesh – It’s not fair!

“And you shall take a bundle of hyssops and dip it in the blood in the basin, and you shall touch it to the lintel and the two door posts, and you shall not go out, no man from the entrance of his home that night, until the morning.” — Shemos 12:22   Great affront [...]

Parshas Pekudei-VaYakel

Men are from Mars “He made the wash basin of copper and it base of copper, from the mirrors of the women who gathered at the entrance to the Ohel Moed.” — Shemos 38:8 The mirrors are the most precious of gifts The Torah specifies that the wash basin in the Mishkan was made of [...]

Parshas Ki Tisa – For the Love of Money

“Moshe returned to HASHEM and said, “Please! This people has committed a grave sin and made themselves a god of gold.” – Shemos 32:31 When Moshe Rabbenu comes down from Har Sinai When Moshe Rabbeinu came down from Har Sinai, he found a very different scene than the one he left forty days earlier. A [...]

Next Page »