by Mordechai Dixler | Apr 8, 2011 | Lifeline, What's happening
The Torah speaks of a Divine affliction called Tzara’as, a visible blemish on a person’s skin, clothing, or walls of their home that creates intense spiritual impurity upon the carrier. There are many complex laws listed in this week and last week’s...
by Mordechai Dixler | Apr 1, 2011 | Lifeline
This week’s reading, Tazria, discusses various spiritual impurities related to a person. The end of last week’s reading concerned which animals are pure (to eat) and which are not, and, says Rebbe Simlai in the Talmud, this is no coincidence: “Just...
by Mordechai Dixler | Mar 25, 2011 | Lifeline
For an animal to be Kosher it must chew its cud and have split hooves. The Camel is deemed non-Kosher because it only chews its cud; likewise, the pig because it only has split hooves. Rabbi Shimshon Pincus zt”l explains the symbolism: people often act in a way that...
by Mordechai Dixler | Mar 18, 2011 | Lifeline, What's happening
Happy Purim! Purim is one of only two Rabbinic holidays on our calendar. The other such holiday, Chanukah, carries with it the very obvious miracle of the single day’s supply of oil that burned for eight days. Purim, on the other hand, has no such miracle...
by Mordechai Dixler | Mar 11, 2011 | Lifeline, What's happening
The Temple offering of the Mincha, a simple offering of flour, oil, and spice, is the only offering when the Torah calls the donor who brings it a “Soul.” The classic commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, Rashi, explains that since this inexpensive...
