Rabbi Nachum Dovid Alpert

Parshat Vayeitzei:

Yaakov was assured of eventual redemption of the Jewish people

The explanation of Yaakov’s vision can provide much poignancy vis-a-vis a future episode in Yaakov’s life–namely

Parshat Toldot:

Why is the land ours?

G-d lets Yitzchak know that the land of Israel will belong to the incredibly numerous heirs of Avraham and Yitzchak and eventually Yaakov, because of the fact that Avraham followed the entirety of G-d’s commandments

Parshat Vayeira:

No Prayer is Left Unanswered

The Sefer Tifferet Yehonasan [Bereishit 18’ 33’] offers, that in reality, Avraham’s prayers and efforts to save the wicked people of Sodom did not go unreturned

Parshat Noach:

The Flooding away of Evil

It seems that the theme of these observations of Rashi is that G-d can be said to be willing to forgo His honor; it is only when interpersonal relationships break down and antisocial behaviors reign supreme that G-d feels that the fabric of society and creation is being torn down.

What the sukkah teaches about the meaning of life

The Midrash details how Iyov could not understand his life of extreme suffering, until he was able to comprehend the mitzvah of sukkah. This comment of the Midrash begs for an explanation, as the logic that would explain a connection between Iyov’s suffering and the mitzvah of building a sukkah is glaringly missing.

The Astonishing Holiness of the Prayers of Yom Kippur

The highlight of the Yom Kippur service in the time of the Beit Hamikdash was the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies, in special white garments, as the representative of the Jewish people. The Mishnah states that it was the most intimate of moments between the man representing the Jewish Nation and Hashem Himself.

To follow in our ancestors footsteps a duty, not just a privilege

As much as we are bound by our ancestors declaration of allegiance to G-d and the Torah, our generation is now bound to educate and inspire our own descendants to follow the proud path of Judaism.

The wrath of Esav and the end of the exile

Rabbi Soleveitchik suggests that the bringer of the first fruits should not declare his gratitude for the salvation of Yaakov from Esav, because there are still lingering, and often painful, impacts of that exile.

Parshat Shoftim:

Total Evil Deserves Total Destruction

Apparently, as explained by Rashi, the Jewish army was commanded not to engage in total warfare; even against immoral nations, the humanity of the Israelite army required that we would not act as total savages, and therefore, effort must be made to preserve the fauna of a city that the Jews were attempting to destroy.

Parshat Re’eh

It is all or Nothing

The Torah presents these two choices as “Either\or.” No middle ground is volunteered.

Parshat Eikev:

The Number at the Heart of Judaism

Judaism has, at its core, a series of threes. There are three different divisions within the broader framework of the twelve ancient Judaic tribes.

Parshat Devarim:

Shema - commemorating the total oneness of the creator

All misdeeds are rooted in a certain momentary lack of awareness of the reality of Hashem, which allows for sinful behavior to fester and actualize

Parshat Mattot Massei:

Silence, in fact, can be Violence

The cause and instigator of the sin were the Midianites, and therefore, as the impetus for the sin, they faced more blame than the people of Moab, and G-d’s wrath was directed at them.

True peace in the face of violence

'Moshe and the elders could not recall the proper response to the display of immoral conduct; his great-nephew Pinchas was able to clarify the issue, and speared both Zimri and Kozbi as befitting those who blatantly defame G-d's Name with extreme displays of lewdness.'

Parshat Balak:

A Nation that Dwells Alone

The Hebrew words for “A Nation that dwells apart” numerically result in the value of 420, which is the same value as the Hebrew phrase for “The days of Messiah"

Parshat Korach

Preserving the authenticity of Judaism

Korach and his cohort fail spectacularly and are swallowed by the earth while yet alive. We can glean from this incident the significance of comprehending that the Torah was given through Moshe, by the direct orders of G-d.

The True Sin of the Spies

The lesson of this episode is apropos for those of us witnessing the current world climate of both antisemitic sentiment to learn that the Jewish response is not to shirk away from the pressures of a confused and hate filled world.

Repentance is Always Available if You Follow the Cloud!

The letter that was not represented on the Jews’ flags was the letter “He’i”, which was an addition to Avraham’s name. That letter was represented by the one cloud that guided the Jews, for that was the letter that G-d used to create the world!

Unpacking the truth:

The strange custom of eating dairy on Shavuot

'When the Written Torah will be translated into the secular tongues, and the nations of the world will claim that they received the Torah from G-d and are the chosen religion, the Jewish response to prove the veracity of our claim as the one true religion will be that we have the Oral Torah, which contains the deeper understandings of the written Torah.'

The Greatest Blessing is One of Peace

Rashi seems to be talking directly to our generation, for while we have merited to recreate a prosperous Jewish homeland in our ancient territory over the last 75 years, that victory is hard to truly celebrate when faced with the struggles that have accompanied the birthpangs of our nation's third Genesis in Israel.

Thought-provoking ideas from the weekly parsha - Behar

Chinuch explains that if one is allowed to defend their physical property to the fullest extent of the law, for sure when facing verbal abuse and threats to one’s emotional and spiritual health one can respond in kind.

The Torah's morality against the flames of child sacrifice

While the practice of Molech is no longer en vogue in today’s world, the metaphoric pillars of fire that youngsters pass would through in worship of this barbaric deity still burn strong in the halls of 'prestigious' universities.

Finding comfort from Miriam's loss, through Shabbat's holiness

It appears that the ability of the Jews to take the pagan representation of the Egyptian society in full view, and prepare it for sacrifice 4 days later, may have been a greater miracle than anything that had occurred up until that moment.

Tazria

Echoes of prophecy still inspire the Jewish nation

For while we have fought for and earned the Land of Israel, and the practice of Jewish life has returned to Zion, we cannot say that our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel are truly free.

The depth of discipline

Aharon's sin with the Golden Calf was not in its creation but in forcing G-d to judge the Jews as willful sinners.

Tzav:

The sacrifice we CAN offer nowadays

Yaakov did not cease his studies of the 613 Mitzvot, and when one learns about a Mitzvah, credit is given for actually fulfilling that commandment!

Vayikra:

How to hear the calling

R’ Moshe Feinstein asks the obvious – if G-d’s voice was to be heard by Moshe alone, why does the Torah allude to the might and majesty of G-d’s communications? What purpose was served by this miracle?

The Real Value of the Mishkan

Gur Aryeh [a supercommentary on Rashi written circa. 1550] asks the obvious–the Torah has just spent hundreds of Pesukim describing the building of the Mishkan, and all that went in to it, and finally, at the culmination of the process, when the last details and accountings are being presented to the Jews–the Torah chooses to allude to the eventual destruction of it all.

Shabbat:

Building the Temple, keeping the flame of hope alive

After thousands of years of no homeland, no Beit Hamikdash, exile and persecution, our National Identity in the metaphysical sense has been the mitzvah of Shabbat – it warms the heart and soul of the Jewish people like no other.

Parshat Tetzaveh:

The National Spirit of Sacrifice of Am Yisrael

Ultimately, the spirit of sacrifice for Am Yisrael that Moshe represented was baked into the national identity of the Nation of Israel.

Parshat Tetzaveh:

The might of the Shoham Stones

The High Priest, as the messenger of the united force of the Jewish People, bore these two stones on his shoulders, to highlight that when Jews are united in their service to G-d, they cannot be defeated.

Parshat Terumah:

The Mystical Representations of the Aron

Rabbi Saadyah Gaon wrote: "The Jewish nation is a nation only by virtue of the Torah."

Parshat Mishpatim:

What the golden calf forces us to appreciate

Rabbeinu Bachye explicitly writes that had the Jews not sinned with the golden calf, we would have reached humanity’s perfection.

Parshat Yitro:

Maintaining our Identity even in Exile

Moshe understood that there would have been no significance to his being saved from the sword of Pharaoh if he would land up assimilating and losing his connection to the burgeoning religion of his ancestors.

Parshat B'shalach:

The open war with our ancient arch-enemy

In this week's Parshah, the open war with the ancient arch-enemy of the Jewish People, Amaleik, begins