by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Aug 29, 2025 | Lifeline
In our Torah reading, the Jewish nation is told that they may have a king, but “only that he may not acquire a large number of horses for himself, and not return the nation to Egypt in order to add a horse” [17:16]. This is the first thing that we are told...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Aug 22, 2025 | Lifeline
Our Torah reading this week enjoins us to maintain Torah practices, no matter what others believe or have done. This begins within ourselves, as the Torah directs us away from “every man doing whatever is right in his eyes” [12:8]. But we are told not to...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Aug 14, 2025 | Lifeline
This week’s reading, Eikev, begins with G-d’s promise of great blessings: “It will be, that because you listen to these judgments, and guard them, and do them, Hashem your G-d will guard for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your fathers” [7:12]. The...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jul 4, 2025 | Lifeline
This week’s reading contains one of the more famous cases of a Medrashic teaching that clearly departs from the plain meaning of the words. Discussing the laws of purity and impurity, the Torah says, “This is the teaching: when a man dies in a tent, all...
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...
