Torah MiZion

Coming back to Gan Eden

How the eighth day of the Mishkan is like the day after Creation.

Vayikra: Being on call

It is not by accident, obviously, that 'calling' is introduced in relation to the sacrifices.

More Mishkan Parshiot?

Why all those meticulously written details when the Torah does not write anything superfluous?

Partners with Hashem

If we do not observe the festivals, it is as if we worship idols? What is the connection?

On Purim – How drunk should a person get?

Why would our Sages instruct us to get drunk, when the Torah and Prophets clearly object to the associated lack of control?

The Cohen Gadol represents all of Am Israel

We, too, should always remember who and what we are representing as we try to bring G-d's Presence closer to us.

Who has the right to give?

There is a contrast between the type of charitable giving in Parashat Terumah and Parashat Ki Tisa.

The Revelation of divinity (Isaiah 6)

A spiritual revelation, a spiritual Torah, in the materialistic world. Man, even Isaiah, cannot comprehend. Moses asks to understand.

Two enemies, two strategies

There is a difference  between how we behave as individual Jews and when we are a nation that is fighting for its’ land.

Freeing the mind

It is not so simple to go from bondage to freedom.

The lessons of exile

Why were the Jews exiled specifically to Egypt?

The Wars of Gad

There are five different ward of Gad. Which one did Yaakov refer to?.

The dangerous power of lies

The brothers lied to Jacob about Joseph's death, and later, even when they spoke the truth to him, he did not believe them.

I have a dream?

Joseph interprets dreams in this week's parasha, but he also had his own dreams, and so did the Maccabees. How do we deal with our own?

Vayishlach: Brothers in arms

Were Shimon and Levi really outraged idealists? Or were they just hotheaded vigilantes?

Toldot: Redigging the wells

Though Abraham’s wells lasted the duration of his lifetime, the Philistines filled them with sand when he died. Isaac redug them. A lesson.

Bein Adam L’Chavero or Bein Adam L’Makom?

Commandements between God and man or between man and his fellow man? Which get priority when they clash?

Be like Terach

Terach, certainly in Yiddish, is used in a negative sense. But there is one major decision he made that we should all emulate.

Creation: The goal comes first

The story of Creation brings us closer to Hashem

The King extends His hand to you – Won't you take it?

Why does the Rambam change the language of the Gemara when it comes to changing one's status during the Ten Days of Repentance?

Why would anyone use a contract to solve the Agunah Problem?

Halakha has dynamic contract doctrines with deep systemic ambiguities or loopholes– even in areas that impact ritual or family law.

What are we waking up from?

Wake up from your work week, hard as it may be. It takes just one step, that step from everyday life into shul.

Coming to the place chosen by Hashem

When you rejoice before Hashem, you must rejoice with those who are needy and dependent.

Kriyat Shema – An invitation to new understanding

Everything about Kriyat Shema seems wildly inconsistent and unrelated, so what is the theme that strings it all together?

Mattot-Masei: On keeping your promises

Kurt Rothschild was a man of his word. As were the tribes who wished to expand Israel to include land on the eastern bank of the Jordan,

Chukat/Balak: The well and the tent

The symbolism of the well in Chukat and the tent of Bilaam's prophecy complement one another in Jewish life.

Shlach: Blue and White

Science, philosophy, nationbuilding, and commandment orientation are all packed into Shlach Lecha’s mitzva of tzitzit, copied for our flag.

Naso: The holiness of the Mishkan

We need to remember that the most consistent dwelling that Hashem has on earth is the camp of Bnei Yisrael, and we must keep it holy.

Behar-Bechukotai: The Covenant of the Written Law

The last two parshas teach the Written Law and Rabbi Shlomo haKohen, Rebbe of Radomsk, teaches his hassidim a lesson in faith..

Emor + Lag BaOmer

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai will not give up on anything and it is impossible for him to compromise and wait for things to unfold.

Kedoshim: Honest competition

The Torah clearly indicates that the ends do not justify the means and that ethical dealings are more important than profits.

Chametz as a symbol of arrogance

Turning our attention to the deeper and spiritual meaning of removing Chametz. It is not just ridding our homes of Cheerios and breadcrumbs.

Sensitivity of Language and Land

To speak poorly about the Land of Israel is to lose sight of an essential part of what make us special. That, too, is lashon hara.

Vayikra: The traits of a Shaliach

The attributes of a dedicated Shaliach mirror the message behind one of the offerings in the Temple.

VAYAKHEL 5782

Let's get together

Strange that a parasha about the details of building the Tabenacle and the need for keeping Shabbat is called "and he gathered."

Word, letter and stone

Why do we need to enforce the Oral Torah and rely on the validity of the Written Torah? Why isn't it the other way around?

Clothes DO make the man

Do the High Priest's robes have holiness of their own or are they enablers for his holiness?

Recreating oneself

Strangely, the order of work in building the mishkan is reversed in Vayakhel-Pekudei when compared to Trumah-Tetzave.

Raising Cain

A Kabbalistic analysis on the laws of the Cities of Refuge, in which Moshe is the reincarnation of Hevel.

'When Pharaoh had let the people go” – or did he?

There seems to be a mixed message coming from Pharaoh and the Egyptians about letting the Israelites go.

Kidush Hachodesh-Sanctifying the New Month

The Torah was given from heaven, and it is absolute. But as soon as it landed on earth - its molding is in the hands of humans.

A Zionist paradigm shift

This week's parasha holds the key to understanding practically all of Jewish History in the past 120 years.

The more they were oppressed...

It's a sad fact. The more the Jews suffer the more they will multiply.

Did Yaakov Avinu die?

Does the location of a person's death impact that person?

VAYIGASH 5782

Yehuda – Responsibility and Redemption

Yehuda had no moral high ground to retreat to. When he looked into his past, all of his accusations boomeranged back at him.

VAYESHEV:

To dream like Joseph

When did he turn into a talented leader with the highest managerial ability? Where is Joseph's turning point?

Confronting challenges in empowerment

Yaakov could have chosen to leave this struggle behind and continue with his preparations for Esav.

TOLDOT 5782

Start, continue - and evolve

The "toldot"of the Patriarchs are a lesson in the ways fathers leave an impression on their sons.

The chessed of Abraham - the chessed of the Creator

Only the capacity of the receptive vessel limits G-d’s abundance to His creatures..

Avraham and Sarah think ahead

Even though one can pray to Hashem for a miracle, it is not proper to do so, as that will detract from one's merits later on in life.

What is new 'in the beginning'?

The whole story announces a new event in the world, the moment when the Creator chooses to establish a relationship with humans.

Moshe Rabbeinu - dead or alive

Did Moshe Rabbeinu transcend death? In this week's parasha, Vezot Habracha, his death is described, but the Talmud says something else.

The Torah - not just another app!

We cannot just lounge around feet up swiping our devices or listening to Torah as we travel to work

Halakhic questions arising from the 9\11 tragedies

The Beit Din of America had to deal with the 9\11 tragedy on a personal level, collecting proofs to try to prevent wives from being agunot.

How are we "Tamim"-wholehearted-with Hashem?

In modern day Hebrew, we say that someone who is Tamim is someone who is naïve. This certainly is not the Torahs` request.

The weekly Torah portion as a medium for growth

The Rabbis intended that the structure of each portion be studied to teach a message unto itself.

Becoming one with Avodah Zarah

What idols sit on the tables of our homes and in our hearts?

Kiddush in Lebanon

“Lebanon… which you cross there to possess” - Shabbat Nachamu during the 2006 Lebaon War.

Observing the mitzvah of shmitta with Otzar Beit Din

How to keep the laws of shmitta in the coming year while helping Israeli agriculture.

Unique and 'regular' everyday – Both powerful

Moshe had saved the nation before with prayer, by reasoning and imploring. Pinchas saved them by acting, violently and definitively.