The Meaning of Sound
What does sound mean to you? Sound plays many roles. It is a vehicle for communication, music, and even distraction, but at its root sound is the simple indicator of life.
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Read the full story »Passover – A Fourteen Step Ritual
Pre Passover Preparation
Once again Passover is on the horizon and, in Jewish homes, the air is filled with excitement. If you are Jewish then your home is probably in a state of disarray with a cleaning crew hard at work. The smell of Windex, Lysol, Furniture Polish and Soap. The …
Vayikra: Is it Meaningful?
Sin and Atonement
This week’s Parsha teaches that when a Jew commits a sin inadvertently he must bring a sin offering to atone for his violation.Why must a Jew be taken to task for an innocent mistake? Say, for example, he kindles a fire on Saturday not remembering that it was …
Vayakhel: Imperfect Devotion
Last in Line
Have you ever attended a Bar Mitzvah where dinner was served buffet style? I really dislike those dinners and here is why. When the buffet is set out I examine the mouth-watering display and a battle rages within me about which treats I can afford to eat. By …
Pekudei: An Arresting Question
A Final Accounting
The previous three Torah portions dealt with the specifications for building the Tabernacle and its holy vestments. In this portion a very important detail: is contributed – a calculation of the total sum of donations received for the cause.
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Vayakhel Pekudei: Celestial Real-estate
According To G-d
Our Parsha describes the building of the Mishkan and the specific details of craftsmanship involved. After describing each section of the Mishkan the Torah testifies that it was all done in accordance with G-d’s instruction to Moshe. Many have wondered why the Torah so often repeats this point?
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Pekudei: Learn to Love It
A Generous Text
This week’s Parsha continues the theme from the previous Parsha in describing our ancestor’s enthusiasm for building the Mishkan (tabernacle) and their exacting commitment to its great detail. After transmitting G-d’s detailed instructions for building the Mishkan the Torah could have simply concluded with the words “Vayasu Ken,” …
Vayakhel: The Real Shabbaton
Shabbat – A Day of Rest
“Six days your work is done and the seventh day is Shabbat Shabbaton” (our Parsha Exodus 35, 2) Contrast this verse with the way it appears in both recordings of the Ten Commandments. “Six days you shall labor and the seventh day shall be a …
Purim: Every Moment Counts
Every Moment Counts
The Midrash tells us that the in the merit of our matriarch Sarah’s one hundred and twenty seven righteous and meritorious years, her descendant, Esther, reigned over one hundred and twenty seven countries.
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Parsha Insights »
Naso: Give Your Fellow A Lift
Lift is an interesting word. In America, you give someone a lift, when you drive them to their destination. In England, it refers to an elevator. The British meaning makes more sense. A lift should lift you vertically; not transport you horizontally.
The concept of vertical lift is the subject of …
Yearly Cycle »
New Year Greeting 5770: Words Make A Difference
When I visit my parents in Boston I am often struck by the adjustment in dimension from my childhood memories. Everything that I remembered as large, houses, streets, pools and yards, seem small by comparison. The only exceptions are the trees that enclose my parents’ backyard. They seemed huge back …
Concepts »
On the Question of Human Shields
The question of human shields has been in the news a lot these past few weeks. As Israel responds to the heinous massacre of innocent civilians, men, women, and children, perpetrated by the sub-human Hamas terrorists, it is being accused of targeting innocent civilians.
Some of these accusers are the very …
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 …
