Greater or Lesser
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...
A Foreign Fire
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…
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...
