Articles in Parsha Insights
B’har: The Power of What
Sabbatical
Farmers in Israel are instructed by Torah to work their land for six years and to let it lie fallow on the seventh. When all the fields in a country are permitted to lie fallow for an entire year would that nation not face a very real risk of famine?
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Emor: The Dancing Jew
The Hora
I’m not much of a dancer. I don’t like dancing and I’m not good at it. So I often find myself on the side of the dance floor watching rather than joining. You see, the dance pace at a Chassidic wedding is intense but the selection is standard, the hora, …
Vayikra: A Sincere Gift
The Thought Counts
A man once complained to me that his wife never appreciates the gifts he brings home for her. I asked him how much money he spends on himself and how much he spends for his wife. He acknowledged that he spends far more on himself then he does …
Mitzora: The Duel of Life
Body and Soul
Life, according to Torah, is a duel between two forces, the body’s gravitation towards self benefit and the soul’s attraction towards fulfillment and meaning. This body / soul dynamic is the crux of the human experience. It is the duel of life.
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Tazria: The Power of Circumcision
Three Gifts
The power of circumcision is such that we are promised three rewards for it – manifestation of the divine presence, eternal ownership of the land of Israel and preservation of the patrilineal line of Davidic Descent.(1)
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Vayechi: The Freedom to Serve
Priorities
I recently asked a young man if he would like to undertake a particular mitzvah. His reply, “It’s not my cup of tea,” caught me by surprise. It made me wonder if we Jews are limited to a pre-determined direction or if we are really capable of more.
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Shemot: Insecure Aggression
Egyptian Thorns
In describing the relationship between Jews and Egyptians the Torah says “And they (Egyptians) were as thorns before the children of Israel” (Exodus 1, 12) The Kli Yakar offers two explanations. The first explanation, Egyptians observed the miraculous birth rate of the Jewish people and feared that G-d intended …
Vayechi: To Know or Not to Know
Revealing the Date
In this week’s Parsha we learn that Jacob thought to reveal the actual date of his children’s future redemption from Egypt but was prevented by G-d. That Jacob desired to reveal this date indicates that there is value in such knowledge. That he was ultimately barred from doing …
