To Shepherd the World
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,...
For Heaven’s Sake
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...
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...
