It is easy to find holiness in the miraculous and extraordinary. The Passover challenge is to find holiness in the ordinary, everyday moments.
Read the full story »Passover: Matzah and the Forbidden Fruit
Matzah and the forbidden fruit? Most people would be surprised to learn that the two are linked, but that is because most people believe that the forbidden fruit was an apple. Our sages argued over the identity of this fruit, but no one thought it was an apple.
Rabbi Meir said …
Vaykahel Pekudei: In Your Heart
Is G-d in your heart, is He at least in your mind, or is He only in your deeds? A tabernacle can be built by deeds, but the most important tabernacle is built in the heart.
When G-d instructed Moshe to build the Tabernacle, the Jewish people contributed more materials than …
Purim: The Response to Antisemitism
Purim represents a victory over antisemitism. Haman was the preeminent antisemite. He didn’t need a reason to hate Jews. He hated them because they were Jewish. Any of his reasons were excuses on which to hang his hat, but they weren’t his primary reasons.
Let’s look at the story of Purim …
Terumah: Good Intentions
Good intentions are important, but they aren’t everything.
When it comes to Mitzvot, intentions are important, but the action is primary. If you want to mow the lawn, you need to go out and mow it. Intending to mow the lawn and even visualizing yourself doing it, won’t cut it (pun …
Mishpatim: The Robinhood Culture
Unless You’ve been living under a rock, you know about the Robinhood fiasco. In brief, several large hedge funds shorted stocks in several companies including one called GameStop. A group of smaller investors colluded to prop up these stocks with a frenzied buying program, costing the hedge funds billions of …
Yitro: One People
Shortly after arriving at Mount Sinai, the Torah tells us that the Jewish people were like one people. The Torah says that he (rather than they) settled near the mountain. Rashi, the famous biblical commentator, pointed out the anomaly and observed that at that point they were singular; like one …
Beshalach: The Trust Test
Trust is a fickle thing. It is hard to build and it can shatter in a moment. Once shattered, it is painstaking to rebuild. If this is true of trust between people, how much more so trust in G-d?
The Torah tells us about a trust event that occurred in the …
Bo: The Army
Every country has an army, and every army serves a country. The question is who is in charge, the army or the country?
You see, militaries are tricky things. On the one hand, they give the country power and stability, on the other hand, they can easily assume power. This is …
Parsha Insights »
Shemini: Bridging Passover and the Weekday
Distinctions
In contra distinction to the rest of the week, Shabbat is a holy day. Though the weekdays lead up to Shabbat and are influenced by Shabbat, they can never become holy; they are forever destined to be mundane. With one exception: The Festivals.
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Yearly Cycle »
Tishah B’av:The Silver Lining
Asaf’s Perspective
On the ninth day of the Hebrew month Av, we fast and mourn as we mark the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash in the year 69 CE. A story is told of Asaf, a Levite and the choirmaster at the holy temple. He was renowned for his music and …
Concepts »
Shabbos: Rabbinical Additions and Enactments
Our sages have instituted many additional enactments that help safeguard the original thirty-nine Melachos. There are two forms of protective legislation that our sages have put into effect concerning the laws of Shabbos.
A. Safeguarding the laws of Shabbos.
The first form of legislation is one that safeguards the biblical prohibitions of …
Rabbi’s Desk »
What Can We Do?
These past two days have been the most difficult for our people in the last fifty years. It was Simchat Torah, a time for rejoicing, yet it was a time of horror. Nearly a thousand members of our family were brutally murdered, more than a hundred were taken hostage, and …
