by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jul 10, 2026 | Lifeline
In Parshas Mattos, read this week, the tribes of Reuven and Gad ask, due to their large flocks and the fertile ground east of the Jordan river, if they could settle there rather than within the Land of Israel itself. They said that they would build “enclosures...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jun 26, 2026 | Lifeline
We learn this week that Miriam passes away after the Israelites come to Kadesh, and that they then have no water to drink [Num. 20:1-2]. Rashi explains that for the entire 40 years that they were in the desert, they had access to a well in the merit of Miriam. Once...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jun 19, 2026 | Lifeline
Analogies are a frequently used educational tool, because they are easily understood and internalized. Just say “toe is to foot as finger is to hand,” and a young child now knows that the appendages attached to the foot are called toes. Mathematically, the...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jun 5, 2026 | Lifeline
The Torah tells us this week that “the man Moshe was more humble than any man” [Numbers 12:3]. When does the Torah tell us this? When his brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, speak poorly of him. Moshe had separated from his wife due to his constant need...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | May 29, 2026 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading we learn about the inaugural offerings brought in the Tabernacle in the desert. Each of the tribes of Israel was given a day on which its leader would bring an offering. The tribes were told to come in a specific order, based upon the four flags...
