The Israelites are basically off stage. They are bystanders while he, Balaam, does things to them and for them.
The Torah wants us to deduce something from the use of the word "regalim" instead of "peamim." The commentaries enlighten us.
When you have a choice between doing something self-serving and a good deed, it is human nature to salivate over the self-serving deed.
Just like Bilaam’s donkey “turning aside”, life has a way of recognizing that the path is blocked.
Tzvi Tal was a judge who remembered that the "Judge of all the earth" is above him. In memoriam.
Hashem expects the Jewish nation to live with trust in Him, without fear of the gentiles.
Our dreams are the forerunners of our national redemption.
The path in the sand stretches out endlessly before me. Unknown but beckoning. What footprints will be left in it?
Our Sages set a principle of leniency in determining the laws dealing with menstrual staining.
The names of parshiot and people’s names define their essence.and interestinly, two are named after doomed characters.
Netanyahu's role now isn't to hold the keys for the Moshiach, but rather to do all he can to prepare the nation for his coming.
The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
Water plays a major role in this week's parasha.
We need to stop, rest and drink deeply from living waters before continuing the arid wilderness we seem to have entered.
How many times in our history have we used arguments for mercy or logic to no avail - their only response is with the sword.
The truth is, however, that we all have the ability, on some level, to replicate the trait of Aharon.
People have more motivation and work better when they understand the reasons for their actions. So why have laws that we can't understand?
Some say that the loss of a sibling is harder to bear than the loss of a parent - Moses has to deal with that bereavement in this parasha.
Parashat Chukat (Para): Disunity brings death and tuma, but unity brings life and tahara (purity).
The Temple represents service of G-d, the Ark represents His Torah. Without Torah, it is impossible to know how to serve God.
Moshe appeared to be confident that he would yet lead his beloved people into the promised land of Israel. It was not to be.
Jews were required to pay internal Jewish taxes from Biblical times onwards.
The Song at the Red Sea and the Song of the Well.
The Talmud teaches us to be sure our Shabbat attire is not the same as our weekday attire.
Sometimes hidden, sometimes front stage, women can set the tone for societal interaction.
The Red Heifer's meaning is not known, ’It is a decree from Hashem, and we do not question it.’ So how does it atone for the golden calf?
Are we hoping for Messiah enough? Are we doing our best to make him come?
Jews were seldom obligated to purify. It was only for those who made pilgrimage and who had become impure since their last pilgrimage.
Compilations from ‘Netivei Emunah' (‘Paths of Faith’), the new book by my father and mentor, Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed Shlita.
Torah from Rel. Zionist yeshivas: Why did the Levites not receive a portion in Eretz Yisrael and in the spoils of war like their brethren?
For the Rebbe's yahrzeit: The Tanya compacts four millennia of Jewish wisdom to answer the great personal and existential questions of life.
The Parsha in Chesed – Korach
Redemption is a process. One that is gradual and continuous. It has ups and downs.
What was wrong with Korach and his fellow agitators? He wanted power. HIs followers each had their reasons to feel resentful toward Moses.
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu explains why, when Aaron is in the right place, and the Divine Presence is there, even a dry stick of wood can blossom.
After the earth swallows Korach and his followers, the Jews come to Moses angry - and only stop arguing after Aaron's staff blossoms. Why?
Datan and Aviram had a history of opposition to Moshe long before they joined Korach, but were punished only then. There is a lesson here.
This is a Torah portion about the power of words.
On Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, take care to plan to have a good month in your thoughts, speech and actions, accept both compliments and criticism..
The earth is a symbol of lower, base objectives, as in the new coalition focused on hatred and the self-aggrandizement of its leaders.
A Flame Lily inspires this week's D'var Torah about why it's so good to connect.
Were Moshe and Aaron guilty of the deaths of the 250 followers of Korach because they set a too difficult test for them?
The man who brought Israel's security complex to unbelievable technological heights was killed in a primitive attack:by Arab rioters.
In every generation, the question is asked: "How do we know that Hashem will make us victorious?"
Rabbi Hanoch, talmid chacham and man of action, dedicated his life to Torah and the Land of Israel.(Also:tevila and makeup, nail polish)
Who is your tour guide? That makes all the difference.in how you deal with the Giant problem.
Both Korach and Karaites missed the symbiotic relationship between written and Oral Law.
Hashem wants us to react to the global suffering that we bear witness to. The world is not at peace; much sorrow and terror still abound.
The fear shown by the spies when Moshe said to bring a report about the land, did not die with that generation of doubters in the desert.
In yesterday's parsha, a wicked person is someone who witnesses a mind-changing event and yet continues as though nothing had happened.
An event in the Torah has a deeper layer that holds a moral lesson for all time, found in the teachings of hassidic philosophy.
The pandemic and closing of borders has kindled the longing for our Land
Harvesting the produce of Eretz Yisrael is a mitzvah. When it is time to harvest, this takes precedence over Torah study!
The great sin of the spies was due to the fact that they misunderstood their mission.
Does a blind person say the daily morning blessing:thanking G-d "“Who opens the eyes of the blind.”?
Why were the people who wanted to make up for the sin of the Spies punished when they tried to enter Israel?
The Gaon of Vilna taught that the sin of the Spies haunts the Jewish People, that many people are caught in its web, evenTorah scholars.
'Torah of Eretz Yisrael' from Religious Zionist yeshiva students: The sin of the spies was their perspective on what they saw in the Land.
They returned with a report whose variations appear in today's Torah journals, speeches etc. The message is: Do not go to Eretz Yisrael.
