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 […]
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 […]
As we mark Yom Hashoah this week, Jews in the Diaspora will read Parshat Shemini, describing the violent deaths of Nadav and Avihu, as well as the tragic killing of Uzzah in this week’s haftarah. When analyzed together, these stories offer interesting lessons for Yom Hashoah. The story of Uzzah is less well-known than that […]
:שָׁמוֹר אֶת חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב וְעָשִׂיתָ פֶּסַח לַה’ אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ כִּי בְּחֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב הוֹצִיאֲךָ ה’ אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ מִמִּצְרַיִם לָיְלָה :וְזָבַחְתָּ פֶּסַח לַה’ אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ צֹאן וּבָקָר בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה’ לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם (דברים טז, א-ב) Keep the month of spring, and make the Passover offering to the Lord, your God; for in the month of spring, the Lord, […]
What is the reason behind the “Karpas” at the Pesach Seder, and what is the significance of its name? A number of Rishonim (see Rashbam), based upon the Gemara (Pesachim 114), imply that the karpas is meant to stimulate the children to ask questions. It is not clear, however, whether that is the entire reason, […]
This week’s Torah portion opens with a description of a sacrificial offering called olah, which is entirely consumed by fire. The Sages have a tradition which explains the purpose of this offering: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai taught: The olah is brought for hirhur halev, “contemplation of the heart.” (Vayikra Rabbah 7:3) This idea is further […]
People are often offended when they are compared to animals. Practically speaking, however, even one who does not believe we evolved from monkeys, recognizes that we are not different from animals in every regard. In each of us there resides an animal side. Sifra D’tzinuta – one of the oldest and most important sections of […]
The prophet Jeremiah 7:21 wrote: So says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; add your burnt offerings upon your sacrifices and eat flesh. For neither did I speak with your forefathers nor did I command them on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning a burnt offering or […]
Six days shall you do your work and the seventh day shall be holy unto you, a Sabbath of resting to God. (Shmot 35:2) Sleeping and Waking Up If the goal of the spiritual journey is to awaken the self, then it would seem that, spiritually speaking, many people go through life “asleep.” We live […]
I’m sure you’ve suffered it many times before: you’re at a Shabbat meal, enjoying the company of others, and then, it comes to a “pause” when someone announces: “Let’s hear a D’var Torah” / “Time for a speech” and so forth. I can’t think of anything more annoying, let alone out of place, then hearing […]
