by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Aug 19, 2016 | Lifeline
Parshas VaEschanan, on the Jewish calendar, is read following the 9th of Av, the Day of Mourning over the destruction. It begins the “seven Sabbaths of consolation,” during which the Haftorah readings, from the prophets, promise that a bright future lies...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Aug 12, 2016 | Lifeline
If we think about it, it should amaze us that there are people who insist we must always remember the Holocaust — even for generations to come, long after the last survivors are lost to us — who are nowhere to be found on the Ninth of Av, when we remember...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jul 29, 2016 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading, G-d gives Pinchas His “Covenant of Peace.” He also makes Pinchas, Aharon’s grandson, part of the Kehunah, the priesthood. [As he was born prior to the anointing of Aharon and his sons, Pinchas did not become a Kohein...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jul 15, 2016 | Lifeline
This week’s Haftorah discusses Ammon coming to wage war with Israel. There was a man named Yiftach, who was the son of a concubine, rejected by his half-brothers. He had moved away, but was a natural leader — many gathered around him, though they were not...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jul 8, 2016 | Lifeline
This week’s reading begins with the rebellion led by Korach against Moshe’s leadership. The first half of the reading discusses the rebellion and what transpired afterwards, so clearly there is much to learn from this story. Korach sought honor and...
by Rabbi Yaakov Menken | Jul 1, 2016 | Lifeline
In this week’s reading, we find the well-known account of the spies who went into the Land of Israel. The Jews knew that they were supposed to inherit the land; the job of the spies was to find the best way to enter. Are the people strong or weak? Are their...
