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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...