Not Just Once
G-d took the Jewish People out of Egypt to be His, to be close to Him and promote His vision for the world. We know that the plans to destroy us today will not succeed, as they have failed in every generation. The Holy One, Blessed be He, saves us from their hands.
Freedom to Serve
I have commented many times that "Let My People Go" must be the most famous half-quote in the Bible. Exodus 7:26 reads as follows: "And G-d said to Moses: Come to Pharoah, and say to him: So says G-d: let My people go, and they will serve Me." The verse does not call...
The Call to Moshe
Simply because a law is not applicable today, that doesn’t mean it is irrelevant, or has nothing to teach us. The Torah is teaching us to elevate ourselves, to become more Holy, to emulate the Divine. In these cases it may not be obvious to us what lessons we are to learn, as we cannot put them “to practical use” or witness the Kohanim doing so. But if simply skimming the surface will leave us uninspired and unmoved, the answer is not to look away, but to look deeper.
The Right Way to Build
In this week's reading, Moshe gathers the entire nation to instruct them in the building of the Mishkan, the Sanctuary. He says, "these are the things which G-d has Commanded, for you to do them." [Ex. 35:1] And then he immediately talks about not doing work, on the...
The Purim Menorah
Here we are, at the Shabbos preceding Purim, and what are we going to read about? Lighting the Menorah! Of course, the Torah reading concerns the lighting of the original Menorah by Aharon and his descendants in the Tabernacle and Temple, but it's still somewhat...
The Wise Men of Chelm
Did you know that the city of Chelm truly had wise men? Or that the stories of "The Wise Men of Chelm" were old fables, deliberately cast upon the Rabbis of Chelm to belittle its Sages? This week's Torah reading comprises a long list of Commandments. Immediately after...
