If the Torah were introduced to the world today, for the first time, it would be much easier to open our minds and hearts to its message. We’d be cracking open a new book, from a new Author, with the excitement inherent in learning something completely new. The text itself would have a chance to speak. That is why the words of Torah should always be new to us, as if they were given today.

Our reading this week begins with an unusual juxtaposition: "HaShem spoke to Moshe at Mt. Sinai, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that when they come to the land which I am giving them, they shall let the land rest, a Sabbatical for HaShem."...

In this week's reading, we find the Commandment not to slaughter a mother animal and its own child on the same day. Why are we instructed to do this? What is the Torah trying to tell us? The Sefer HaChinuch, Rav Yosef Babad's compendium of the 613 Commandments,...

We find in this week's reading, "and G-d spoke to Moses, saying, speak to the Children of Israel and say to them, I am Hashem your G-d." [Lev. 18:1-2] This sounds redundant. Did the Children of Israel not know this already? It sounds very similar to the first of the...

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...

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…