by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jun 20, 2025 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading, the spies were sent out to investigate the Land of Israel, to see how to enter and minimize risk. They returned with a bad report: “indeed, it is a land flowing with milk and honey,” they said, even bringing back samples of...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jun 6, 2025 | Lifeline
Our reading this week juxtaposes two very different things: the Sotah and the Nazir. A Sotah was a woman suspected of being unfaithful to her marital vows. If, instead of admitting what she had done, she agreed to a Divine test in the Holy Temple, then if she had not...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | May 9, 2025 | Lifeline
In between instructing us regarding Kosher food and forbidden relationships, Hashem, in our reading this week, gives us a more general instruction: “According to the behavior of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelled, you shall not do, and like the behavior of...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | May 2, 2025 | Lifeline
Our combined reading this week, of the portions Tazria and Metzorah, speaks a great deal about types of purity and impurity. Even something as beautiful as childbirth means that the mother is no longer carrying the baby, and that brings with it impurity. But there is...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Apr 3, 2025 | Lifeline
Our reading begins, “And He [G-d] called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying…” [1:1] The first word of this book, that which identifies the Sefer as “Vayikra,” is traditionally written with an unusally small letter Aleph at the end...
