Is it possible that Hashem was chopping and changing His mind? Thatâs what appears to be the case at the beginning of Parshat Balak! Balak the King of Moav sent messengers to Bilam the heathen prophet, inviting him to go with them to curse the Jewish people. Bilam enquired of …
According to our tradition, King Solomon, who was cleverer than anyone else, could not work out the logic behind the laws of the parah adumah, the red heifer, as presented to us in Parshat Chukat. Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik beautifully describes the connection between Parshat Korach of the previous week followed …
Right at the end of Parshat Korach, the Torah gives us details of âmaaserâ â the tithe that was given to the Leviim, the Levites. The Torah informs us that the tithe was not to be considered holy: âki sachar hu lachem chelef avodatchem bâohel moâed.â â âbecause it was …
What is the Torahâs antidote to an inferiority complex? In Parshat Shelach Lecha, we are told how the meraglim, the spies, returned from the Promised Land. Ten out of twelve of them delivered an evil report; they said (Bamidbar 13:33), âVanehi beâeyneynu kechagagim vechain hayinu bâeyneyhem.â When we saw the …
Aharon was great because he never changed. In Parshat Behaalotecha the Torah tells us about the great privilege that Aharon the High Priest had to kindle the menorah. Following the instruction given to Aharon, the Torah says (Bamidbar 8:3) âVayaas ken Aharon.â â âAharon did it.â Itâs quite an astonishing statement! …
In Parshat Nasso the Torah tells us (Bamidbar 5:6) âIsh o isha ki yaâasu mikol chatot haadam limol mal baHashem,â â âIf any man or woman commits the type of sin that sometimes people carry out, it is a trespass against Hashem.â Rashi here cites the explanation of our sages …
There is a strong connection between the festival of Shavuot and the Queenâs Platinum Jubilee. On the festival, for our Torah reading, we will read from Parshat Yitro about the preparations that were made for zman matan Torateinu, that greatest day that has ever taken place on earth, when the …
The twenty-sixth chapter of the book of Vayikra sets out, with stunning clarity, the terms of Jewish life under the covenant. On the one hand, there is an idyllic picture of the blessing of Divine favour: If Israel follows Godâs decrees and keeps His commands, there will be rain, the …
Every single person we do business with is the child of an exceptionally important person. This is a comment of the great medieval commentator Sforno on Parshat Behar which teaches, âVechi timkeru mimkar laâamitecha oh kano miyad amitecha al tonu ish et achiv.â â âWhen youâre selling something to someone …
