11 Sivan 5783 – 31 May 2023 “They shall confess their sin that they have committed…” (Numbers 5:7). Confession is a basic requirement in the atonement process for all wrongful behavior. Why is it that that the commandment for confession is stated here in the context of the sin of… Read More »Numbers 5:7 – Every Sin is a form of Stealing?
10 Sivan 5783 – 30 May 2023 When the Torah speaks about repentance for stealing, it says: “They shall confess their sins that they did…” (Numbers 5:7). This sentence just could have said “they shall confess their sins” – the words ‘that they did’ seem extra. R’ Yaakov Aharon of… Read More »Numbers 5:7 – What Led a Person to Steal?
9 Sivan 5783 – 29 May 2023 “So shall you bless the Children of Israel, saying (‘amor’) to them.” (Numbers 6:23) The word ‘amor’ in Hebrew means ‘say’ as in our verse, but it can also mean love. (Interestingly, amore in English/Italian also means love!) We see an example of… Read More »Number 6:23 – Amor
4 Sivan 5783 – 24 May 2023 “…Hashem is your shadow…” (Psalm 121:5) The Baal Shem Tov taught that just as our shadows move with us, the Almighty’s relationship with us follows our movements in life. For example, if we judge others favorably and with compassion – G-d will judge… Read More »Tehillim 121:5 – Hashem is your Shadow
28 Iyar 5783 – 19 mei 2023 “The children of Israel shall camp, each man by his banner, with the emblems of their fathers’ houses; they shall camp some distance from the Tent of Meeting” (Numbers 2:2). This chapter deals with the organization of the camp Israel into their set… Read More »Numbers 2:2 – Unity
23 Iyar 5783 – 14 mei 2023 “And they gathered the entire nation on the first day of the second month…according to the number of the names…” What is meant by “according to the number of the names”? Ramban (Nachmanides) explains: Hashem told Moses to count each and every person… Read More »Numbers 1:18 – Each Person is Unique
18 Iyar 5783 – 9 May 2023 “You shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land for all of its inhabitants; it shall be the Jubilee year for you…” (Leviticus 25:10). This verse contains the stirring phrase that was engraved on Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell in 1752. The… Read More »Leviticus 25:10 – When is a Society Liberated?
7 Iyar 5783 – 28 april 2023 “…love your neighbor as yourself; I am Hashem” People don’t love themselves in order to fulfill a Biblical commandment. So too, you shouldn’t love your neighbor simply because you were commanded to by Hashem. Your love should be spontaneous and genuine. (The Alter… Read More »Leviticus 19:18 – Love your neigbor
28 Nissan 5783 – 19 april 2023 “If a woman will conceive and give birth to a boy…” This chapter begins by discussing various laws pertaining to the birth of human beings. The previous Torah portion concluded with laws about animals. Rashi, in his commentary to this verse, says that… Read More »Leviticus 12:2 – Two Pockets in Life
27 Nissan 5783 – 18 april 2023 “Whatever crawls on its belly…” (Leviticus 11:42). The word for stomach/belly is gachon. The letter vav in this word is always written enlarged in a Torah scroll. It happens to be the middle letter in the entire Torah, the center point. (Second line,… Read More »Leviticus 11:42 – What can we learn from the “belly”?
