In the Name of Religion…
Our Torah portion this week contains what, at first reading, could seem to be a draconian or even primitive decree: "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" [Leviticus 24:20]. Yet nowhere in Jewish tradition is this understood according to how it might be read without...
Partners in Crime
It surprised me to learn that most, if not all, things that bother me about others are those deficiencies which I bear an element of, myself. When people arrive late for appointments, for example, it really gets to me sometimes... and it's not as if I have always been...
Why is the Passover Seder so popular?
This coming Monday evening, we will begin to celebrate Passover. The Passover Seder is one of the most frequently celebrated practices on the Jewish calendar -- even among those minimally involved with Judaism the rest of the year. That is one of the reasons we have...
He’s More Than His Defect
The Torah speaks of a Divine affliction called Tzara'as, a visible blemish on a person's skin, clothing, or walls of their home that creates intense spiritual impurity upon the carrier. There are many complex laws listed in this week and last week's Torah readings for...
Coming in Last
This week's reading, Tazria, discusses various spiritual impurities related to a person. The end of last week's reading concerned which animals are pure (to eat) and which are not, and, says Rebbe Simlai in the Talmud, this is no coincidence: "Just like the formation...
Pigs or Camels?
For an animal to be Kosher it must chew its cud and have split hooves. The Camel is deemed non-Kosher because it only chews its cud; likewise, the pig because it only has split hooves. Rabbi Shimshon Pincus zt”l explains the symbolism: people often act in a way that...
We survived many Purims, but for what?
Happy Purim! Purim is one of only two Rabbinic holidays on our calendar. The other such holiday, Chanukah, carries with it the very obvious miracle of the single day's supply of oil that burned for eight days. Purim, on the other hand, has no such miracle -- the...
Offer Your Soul
The Temple offering of the Mincha, a simple offering of flour, oil, and spice, is the only offering when the Torah calls the donor who brings it a "Soul." The classic commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, Rashi, explains that since this inexpensive offering is...
Everyone Gave Something
This week, we read the special Torah portion of Shekalim, commemorating the annual half-Shekel donation that every person was obligated to give to support the ongoing needs of the Holy Temple. This special reading, which precedes the New Month of Adar (II), is in...
Bring the Divine Presence Among Us
When the call went out for donations to the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the response was tremendous. People donated their golden vessels, women gave up their own jewelry, and the donations kept coming until they told Moses, "The people are bringing much more than is needed...
Pure Lights
Chanuka is far behind us, but the image of the pure, burning lights of the Menorah are marked in my memory. The image of simple, gently flickering lamps of oil projects a sense of serenity, that all is at peace. But think, for a moment, about the tumultuous past...
Clean Charity
In this week's reading, G-d tells Moses that the people should take a Terumah, an offering, for Him. It is a good time to speak about the importance of giving charity, especially in support of Torah learning, synagogues, schools and yeshivos which help us, as Jews, to...
