What is the connection of "Arami Oved Avi" — "An Aramean destroyed my father" — to the Haggadah? The Haggadah says that "Pharaoh decreed only against the males, but Laban tried to uproot everything." Again, why connect the two? The goal of the Haggadah is to tell...

In this week's reading, we begin the third of the 5 Books of Moses, Vayikra, or Leviticus. It was undoubtedly dubbed "Leviticus" because much of it concerns the Temple services, done by the Kohanim, the Priests, descendents of Aharon HaKohen, of the tribe of Levi....

In this week's reading, we learn about the episode of the Golden Calf. Moshe took a day too long to come back down off the mountain, and many assumed that he must have died, that he was never returning to earth. And so they made a new leader for themselves, and some...

Jewish survival is perhaps the greatest miracle of all Jewish history. It defies clear historical patterns. Whenever people move to different countries, they gradually integrate, following the beliefs and ideals of the local population. Yet the Jews were different, stubbornly so.

Have you heard "Mitzvah" translated as a "good deed?" That's incorrect, and this week's reading proves it: not every good deed is a Mitzvah! A Mitzvah is something we are Commanded to do, from "Tzivui," a command. When it comes to the donations for building the...

Why are Jews hated? It comes from this week's reading. "Why is it called Mount Sinai? It is the mountain where hatred [Sinah] descended upon the nations of the world" [Shabbos 99a]. The Medrash says that G-d offered the Torah to various other nations of that time, but...