Genuine Humility
The Torah describes Moshe in a startling way. It says that he was "more humble than any man" [Numbers 12:3]. First of all, we know that Moshe had a unique relationship with G-d. That should make a person proud of his accomplishments, proud to be selected for such a...
A Unique Encounter
The Torah teaches that at Sinai, G-d did not reveal Himself to a single individual. Rather, He spoke to the entire Jewish nation. Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, the famed Jewish scholar of over 800 years ago, calls this event the foundation, the "pillar upon which our belief...
It’s Not About Our Enemies
“And even with that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, and I will not be disgusted with them to eliminate them, to nullify my Covenant with them.”
The Simple Truth
There is a deceptively simple Commandment in this week's reading: "a man shall not deceive his brother" [Lev. 25:14]. This is distinct from being a false witness [Ex. 20:16], denying having another's property [Lev. 19:11] and false judgment, "distance yourself from a...
The Hidden Holiday
Why doesn’t the Torah tell us that it was given to us on Shavuos, the holiday it calls merely the feast of “weeks” and a “gathering?” And what does this tell us about the Torah itself?
Learning from Tragedy
When four Rabbis of the Mishnah reached the Temple Mount, they saw a fox come out of the area of the Holy of Holies. The other three rabbis cried, but Rebbe Akiva laughed. Why did he laugh? And how did his explanation console the other three?
