Lech Lecha (Genesis 12-17 ) Bereishit, 13:14: “And HaShem spoke to Avram after the separation of Lot from him…” Rashi, Bereishit, 13:14, Dh: Acharei: “The whole time that that wicked one [Lot] was with him [Avraham], Prophecy was taken from him. And earlier, when Lot was with him, and it says, ‘Hashem appeared to Avram’… Read More »PARSHAT LECH LECHA – GIVING AT THE EXPENSE OF ONE’S OWN GROWTH
Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32 ) Bereishis, 6:9: “These are the offspring of Noach: Noach was a righteous man (tzaddik), pure (tamim) in his generations.”Bereishis, 7:1: “And G-d said to Noach, you and all your household, come to the Ark, because I have seen that you are righteous (tzaddik) before me in this generation.Rashi, 7:1: “And it… Read More »PARSHAT NOACH – LUST VERSUS IDEOLOGY
Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8 ) Rebbe Yitzchak said, ‘[God] need only have begun the Torah from ‘This month shall be to you” which is the first Commandment which Israel was commanded. For what reason did it begin with ‘Bereishit’?… So that if the nations of the world will say to Israel, ‘You are… Read More »PARSHAT BERESHIT – THE FIRST RASHI
Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8 ) Bereishis, 1:16: “And God made the two great luminaries; the great luminary to rule by the day, and the small luminary to rule by the night, and the stars.”Rashi, 1:16: Dh: The great luminaries: “They [the sun and moon] were created equal, and the moon was made smaller because it… Read More »PARSHAT BERESHIT – LEARNING FROM THE STARS
Deuteronomy 32 Devarim, 31:19: “And now write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel, place it in their mouth, so that this song will be for Me a witness for the Children of Israel.” God instructs each person to write their own Torah scroll (Sefer Torah)… Read More »PARSHAT HA’AZINU -THE SONG OF TORAH
Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20 In this week’s Torah portion the Torah tells us: ““For this mitzvah that I command you today is not hidden from you and is not distant. It is not in the heavens for you to say ‘Who can ascend to the heavens for us and take it for… Read More »Parshat Nitzavim – Repentance from Love
Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8 The Torah Portion mentions a very unique ceremony: When the Jewish people came into the Land of Israel, there were two adjacent mountains – Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival. Six Tribes stood on one mountain and six Tribes stood on the second mountain. A series of Blessings and Curses were recited, to… Read More »PARSHAT KI TAVO – THE CURSE OF TWO-FACEDNESS
Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 Deuteronomy, 17:15-17: “You shall place upon yourself a King…Only, he will not have too many horses, and he will not return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, and Hashem said to you, you will not add to return in this way anymore. And he will… Read More »PARSHAT SHOFTIM – HAVING TOO MUCH MONEY
Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 Devarim: 23:4-5: An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the congregation of Hashem, even their tenth generation shall not enter the congregation of Hashem. Because they did not greet you with bread and water on the road when you were leaving Egypt…Devarim, 25:17-19: Remember what Amalek did to you, on… Read More »PARSHAT – KI TEITZEI – THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOAB AND AMALEK
Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 The Torah forbids various forms of mourning that were prevalent among the non-Jewish nations. One of the reasons that these were forbidden is they were too excessive, ascribing a sense of permanency to death, when in truth, we know that the person’s soul continues to exist and lives… Read More »Parshat Re’eh – Mourning for a Parent
