In Massechet Gittin we find a series of “Aggadot HaChurban”- stories about Jerusalem in the period leading up to the destruction of the Temple. These stories describe the hunger and difficult conditions in Jerusalem during the siege, but more than that, they are meant to be a moral lesson as to the actions which brought […]
Israel finds itself under constant scrutiny. Allegations of Human Rights infringements are brandished against us and we are condemned in international fora for our failure to make peace. The dilemmas are huge and the discomfort for all Jews is enormous. Israel dares not ignore enemies who seek our destruction, but nor do we want to […]
Inheritance has always been a sensitive topic. Family ties frequently fray at the edges, as frustrations and expectations run headlong into the instability of a time of transition. As we approach the end of the Torah’s narratives, the issue of transition and inheritance rises to the forefront. We read of Tzelofchod’s daughters, who approach Moshe […]
This week, Israel was challenged again by another “Freedom Flotilla,” attempting to reach the Gaza strip. Internationally, Israel is often portrayed as the ‘Goliath’ – the side that has and makes use of its military power. In sharp contrast to this picture, throughout our long history, the Jewish people were associated with the lack of […]
In the beginning of this week’s parsha, we read rules that guide people who have encountered death. For example: In Bamidbar 19:14 we read how all the persons who were in the home when someone died, or who came into the home of the dead before the funeral – classically the family of the deceased […]
My mother often asked me, “how might the uninformed layperson know which rabbi’s opinion is correct?” One rabbi rules that “ mixed gender seating at weddings is fine,” but others disagree. After hearing all sides, we remain beside ourselves. How might we measure who is correct? What can we cull from the Korach/Moses conflict? There […]
In excavations on an escarpment overlooking the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem in 1979-80, two silver amulets were discovered, dating to the late seventh century BCE. Texts inside the amulets preserve the language of Birkat Kohanim – the blessing with which the Kohanim were commanded to bless the children of Israel [1] (Numbers 6:24–26): May the […]
The Torah teaches that upon completing the count of the Omer, the Festival of Shavuot is celebrated (Deut. 16:9–10). In addition to commemorating the conclusion of the counting of the weeks of the Omer, Shavuot also celebrates the wheat harvest (Ex. 23:16), and is therefore known as “Ḥag HaKatzir,” the Harvest Festival. The shetei haleḥem, […]
Our parsha describes the encampment of B’nei Yisrael in the wilderness. Not a detail goes by unaccounted for: the number of fighting men and the layout of the camp, tribe by tribe; the Levites, their roles and encampment. By the end of our parsha we have received a detailed blueprint of the plans for the […]
The “style” of this week’s Torah portion — which marks the end of the Book of Leviticus — departs somewhat from the style of the other portions in this book and indeed from the style of the entire Torah. In place of the narrative or recitation of legal strictures to which we have become accustomed, […]
Beit Hillel — Attentive Spiritual Leadership invites you to our first inaugural Shabbaton Contemporary Challenges facing Modern Orthodoxy in Israel and the Diaspora. The 4-day event, Contemporary Challenges facing Modern Orthodoxy in Israel and the Diaspora, will take place in Los Angeles, California, from May 8-11 (Parshat Emor). The Shabbaton is in cooperation with: and […]
In Parshat Behar, the Torah codifies a story of human tragedy. When an Israelite is sold into slavery, having to leave behind him not only his home and family but his people and his faith, the Torah commands that his family has the right and obligation to redeem him: He shall have the right of […]
וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם וּקְצַרְתֶּם אֶת קְצִירָהּ וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֶת עֹמֶר רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם אֶל הַכֹּהֵן: וְהֵנִיף אֶת הָעֹמֶר לִפְנֵי ה’ לִרְצֹנְכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת יְנִיפֶנּוּ הַכֹּהֵן… וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה: עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת […]
A good teacher knows that it is vital to learn names. A new year or new set of classes might easily mean 30, 60, or 100 new students, and each of them is a new face and a new name to try to remember. But it is very important to make the effort, because when […]
Spring is in the air. It is a time of renewal and rebirth after a long, cold winter in which things have lain dormant. According to research done on tens of millions of births, the spring equinox is one of two times of the year in which there is a statistical spike of conceptions resulting […]
