by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jul 18, 2024 | Lifeline
The Medrash tells us that Bilaam was a prophet, that Hashem, G-d, spoke with him. No one, however, came closer to Hashem thanks to hearing Bilaam’s prophecy. All the Jewish prophets, and of course Moshe himself, caused people to turn to Hashem, but Bilaam was an utter...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jul 5, 2024 | Lifeline
“And Korach the son of Yitzhar, the son of K’has, the son of Levi, and Dasan and Aviram the sons of Eliav, and On the son of Peles, the sons of Reuven, took [themselves to the side]; and they rose up against Moshe…” [16:1-2] The Mishnah in the Chapters of the Fathers...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jun 28, 2024 | Lifeline
This week we read about the tragic expedition of the spies into the Land of Israel. They returned with a bad report, briefly convincing the Israelites that they would be unable to enter their land. This is why the generation that left Egypt was not allowed to enter...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jun 21, 2024 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading, G-d tells Moshe to assemble 70 of the Elders of Israel, for them to be prophets to the people [see Num. 11:16-17 and 24-29]. They would form the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Rabbinic Court. There were 12 tribes, and the division was to be as...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jun 14, 2024 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading, we learn about the inaugural offerings brought by the heads of each Tribe of Israel to the Tabernacle. First the Torah spells out for us, in detail, the contents of the first offering, brought by. Nachshon ben Aminodov of the tribe of...
