by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Apr 20, 2017 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading, the Torah clearly lays out for us the animals, fish and poultry permitted under Jewish Law. In the course of doing so, the Torah makes a statement that — were it made by a human being — would have been beyond foolhardy. The...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Apr 7, 2017 | Lifeline
What is the connection of “Arami Oved Avi” — “An Aramean destroyed my father” — to the Haggadah? The Haggadah says that “Pharaoh decreed only against the males, but Laban tried to uproot everything.” Again, why connect the two?...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Mar 30, 2017 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading, we begin the third of the 5 Books of Moses, Vayikra, or Leviticus. It was undoubtedly dubbed “Leviticus” because much of it concerns the Temple services, done by the Kohanim, the Priests, descendents of Aharon HaKohen, of the...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Mar 16, 2017 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading, we learn about the episode of the Golden Calf. Moshe took a day too long to come back down off the mountain, and many assumed that he must have died, that he was never returning to earth. And so they made a new leader for themselves, and...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Mar 10, 2017 | Lifeline
What is the miracle of Purim? The great majority of Jewish holidays were mandated at Sinai: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Pesach and Shavuot. Most of the Rabbinic enactments are fast days, times of mourning. So the one other (happy) holiday...
