Always on the Move
How did the Jewish people navigate their way through the desert? They didn’t have the Waze app, but they had their own form of GPS - a G-d Positioning System. G-d surrounded them with clouds called the Ananei HaKavod - the "Clouds of Honor” throughout their journey....
Beloved Broken Records
Are you old enough to remember vinyl records? Do you remember how a scratched record could skip backwards, repeating a section over and over? The casual listener to the reading of this week’s Torah portion might be reminded of that broken record. The Baal Korei (the...
Strength in Numbers
This Shabbos we will read the first words of Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers. Then, on Sunday night, we will celebrate the holiday of Shavuos, the time of the giving of the Torah. The holiday is called Shavuos in the Torah, literally "weeks," as the Torah commands us to...
Everything According to His Will
The second of our two readings this week is Bechukosai: "If you will go in my decrees, and guard my commandments, and do them" [Lev. 26:3]. A decree is something that government, or in this case HaShem [G-d] in the Torah, tells us to do, which we are unlikely to...
The Day the Tears Dry
The current period on the Jewish calendar, the weeks between Passover and Shavuos, are called the “Y'mei Sefirah,” days of of counting. The Omer, the annual grain offering, was brought on the second day of Passover in the Holy Temple. Starting from that day, the Torah...
Mitzvah Impossible
“Don’t take revenge, don’t bear a grudge, love your friend like yourself, I am G-d. (Lev. 19:18)” These words are among the most well known Commandments in the Torah. Their simplicity and truth have resonated with people for thousands of years. Yet these Mitzvos,...
The Stain is Noticeable
This week's Torah portion describes a person infected with a Negah - a blemish, which might infect his skin, his clothing, or even the walls of his house. So it is immediately obvious that the "infection" the Torah is describing was a spiritual illness, not medical. A...
Matzah Motivators
Passover preparations are underway, and many households are already cleaning out rooms, looking for Chometz. “Chometz” is any product of wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt which was allowed to rise, including bread, cookies, cakes & crackers. During the Passover...
Seeping Cynicism
As Moshe (Moses) entered the tent of the Tabernacle, he heard someone saying, "Look how fat the son of Amram's neck is!" The implication was that Moshe had become wealthy off the donations made by the Children of Israel. In fact, he heard another respond, "What, the...
Become the New You
The Purim story, which we read in the Book of Esther, is one of surprising reversals. King Achashveirosh threw a party to show off his power and wealth, but it ended with him roaring drunk and killing his own queen. Haman came to the king to hang Mordechai, and ended...
Heartily Giving
Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin zt"l was in Polish Lithuania at a time when rabbinic schools were suffering from extreme poverty. In his book Oznaim L'Torah (and reprinted in Yalkut Lekach Tov), he relates that he accompanied a delegation of senior rabbis to Warsaw to request...
Round Peg in a Round Hole
This week's Torah portion features many laws governing our interactions with others: personal and property damages, borrowing and lending, and judicial proceedings, among others. Yet the opening words of the parsha are "And these are the laws.." The word "and," of...
