G-d created the world through speech, and the words with which He created us are very much like flames. “Behold, my words are like flames” (Jeremiah 23:29). Flames don’t burn unless they have fuel to consume. The same is true of G-d’s words. “For G-d your G-d is a consuming …
Read the full story »Ki Tisa: Are You A Forgiver At Heart?
Petty Grudges
Are you the forgiving type? I don’t mean the type that forgives after making another grovel for it. I mean the type that forgives without even being asked. If you are, well if you are, I have no words to describe you. You are perhaps an angel or a …
Tezaveh: How To Choose A Leader
The Nature of a Leader
Why do we gravitate to the charismatic and charming when choosing our leaders? We look for a leader that can galvanize the masses, lead the government, command the military and interact with fellow Heads of State. Former President Bill Clinton is a perfect example; he has …
Terumah: How To Make A Sanctuary
Four Elements
The tabernacle Moses was commanded to erect comprised the four basic elements, inanimate, vegetative, animate and human. The floor was desert sand, representing the inanimate element. The walls were wooden, representing the vegetative element. The roof was of animal hide, representing the animate element and the people that worshiped …
Mishpatim: Whom do You Serve?
One and Others
Have you ever noticed that the classic proclamation of Jewish faith, the call Hashem Echad – G-d is one, can be easily mispronounced as hashem Acher – another G-d? Rather than proclaiming our faith in a single – one and only – G-d we can inadvertently slide into …
Yitro – When Student Becomes Teacher
Teaching and Giving
Did you know that Jews knew and studied the Torah well before G-d gave it at Sinai? The Torah was taught to Adam, who taught it to Seth who passed it to his children till it reached Abraham, who taught it to the Jews. (1) This begs the …
Beshalach: The Circle of Faith
Panic In Times of Crises
They tell a story about a man, who was driving about, desperate to find a parking spot. With no spots available he called out, Dear G-d, give me a parking spot and will I pledge a thousand dollars to charity. Instantaneously a spot became available and …
Bo: G-d Gives, The Thief Taks
The Theft
When my family returned from a two day trip we found our home was burglarized. The thief broke a window to gain access, rifled through drawers, left a mess and walked away with a few meager items and a charity box. The things he took were just things; easily …
Vaera: The Daily Escape
Question
Over the course of history, Jews have experienced many miraculous redemptions, but the only miracle we deliberately recall every day is the exodus from Egypt. Why is this one different?
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Parsha Insights »
Shemini: Food for Thought for your Dinner Table
Sunday: A Transcending Number
Why was the first day of service in the Tabernacle referred to as the eighth? It was preceded by seven days of training, but it was still just the first day of actual service. The number eight represents transcendence. Seven is the number of days in the …
Yearly Cycle »
Passover: A Basic Overview
Chametz and Matzah
On Passover we celebrate our ancestors’ exodus from Egypt. When our ancestors left Egypt they left in great haste. They didn’t have time to properly bake bread before they left and consequently ate unleavened bread for their first days of travel.In commemoration of this fact, the Torah commands …
Concepts »
Bikur Cholim
A fantastic story is told about the Chassidic master Rabbi Moshe of Korbin. Once, on his travels, he stayed at the home of one of his disciples. His host’s grandson, then a baby, had fallen gravely ill. Doctors had given up all hope and did not expect the child to …
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 …
