Greater or Lesser
What separates human consciousness from that of animals is the ability to think in terms of ideas, and act based upon a conscious decision rather than instinct. How do we communicate these ideas to others, and build upon them? This comes to us through the power of...
A Foreign Fire
Last night was the yahrtzeit, the anniversary of his passing, of Rav Zvi Elimelech Hertzberg zt”l, my wife’s grandfather. The Hertzbergs were amazing people — they took Holocaust refugees into their homes, treated them like children, and helped them go on to lead productive lives here in America. Someone pointed out to me not long ago that as a result of their efforts…
Not Just Once
G-d took the Jewish People out of Egypt to be His, to be close to Him and promote His vision for the world. We know that the plans to destroy us today will not succeed, as they have failed in every generation. The Holy One, Blessed be He, saves us from their hands.
Freedom to Serve
I have commented many times that "Let My People Go" must be the most famous half-quote in the Bible. Exodus 7:26 reads as follows: "And G-d said to Moses: Come to Pharoah, and say to him: So says G-d: let My people go, and they will serve Me." The verse does not call...
The Call to Moshe
Simply because a law is not applicable today, that doesn’t mean it is irrelevant, or has nothing to teach us. The Torah is teaching us to elevate ourselves, to become more Holy, to emulate the Divine. In these cases it may not be obvious to us what lessons we are to learn, as we cannot put them “to practical use” or witness the Kohanim doing so. But if simply skimming the surface will leave us uninspired and unmoved, the answer is not to look away, but to look deeper.
The Right Way to Build
In this week's reading, Moshe gathers the entire nation to instruct them in the building of the Mishkan, the Sanctuary. He says, "these are the things which G-d has Commanded, for you to do them." [Ex. 35:1] And then he immediately talks about not doing work, on the...
The Purim Menorah
Here we are, at the Shabbos preceding Purim, and what are we going to read about? Lighting the Menorah! Of course, the Torah reading concerns the lighting of the original Menorah by Aharon and his descendants in the Tabernacle and Temple, but it's still somewhat...
The Wise Men of Chelm
Did you know that the city of Chelm truly had wise men? Or that the stories of "The Wise Men of Chelm" were old fables, deliberately cast upon the Rabbis of Chelm to belittle its Sages? This week's Torah reading comprises a long list of Commandments. Immediately after...
Connect with a Teacher
When Yisro comes to meet Moshe and the Jewish Nation, he finds that Moshe is taking questions all day. Moshe explains that everyone who has a question about G-d's Laws is coming to him for the answer, and everyone with a disagreement is coming to him to know who is...
Everyday Miracles
This week, we read about the formation of the Jewish people. They are taken out of Egypt to form a new nation, and the first thing the Jewish people see is an open miracle: the opening of the Sea to let them cross. Shortly after letting the Israelites go, Pharoah...
Rabbi Dovid Winiarz zt”l
In the memory of a paragon of love for others, who reached out and shared Judaism as part of that love. Reb Dovid was a person who believed in the ideal of leaving no one behind, and who lived for that ideal. If we are to learn from R’ Dovid, it would have to be first and foremost his attribute of Ahavas Chinam, free and boundless love for others, that we emulate. Spreading knowledge of our great legacy should be merely one facet of that desire to help.
Criticism Welcome!
There is a world of difference between lashon hora, evil gossip, and constructive criticism. First and foremost, criticism can help us to improve. In this week's reading, Moshe is warned that he spoke badly of Israel -- he said that they will not believe him, and this...
