Today’s Torah portion tells the story of Korah the cousin of Moses and Aaron who questions the ‘spirtual leadership’ of the Israelites. Moses defends the divine appointment of Aaron as Kohen Gadol and clarifies the wearing of Tallit.
Like Moses, Korah was a Levite and born in Egypt and a witness to the miracles of the […]
In this weeks parasha Shelach (which means to send, send to you, send for yourself) God commands Moses to send 12 men (SPIES) – to check out the promised land before the Israelites enter the land.
As we find out the expedition was less than remarkable for 10 of the ‘SPIES’ – perhaps due to a […]
At my dear mother’s funeral in 2002, I read part of a letter to her from the corporate offices of Walgreen’s. “Dear Mrs. Tobias (She had remarried for a time, several years after my father died), Thank you for your note to us about Ernie Gibson.” Ernie Gibson was the pharmacist at the Walgreens on […]
The book of Vayikra draws to a close by outlining the blessings that will follow the Israelites if they are faithful to their covenant with God. Then it describes a much longer series of curses, the tochechah, that will befall them if they are not faithful. The general principle is clear. In biblical times, the […]
Picture this – you are Moses (for the moment) you know the prophetic leader of the Israelites who was blessed with a stutter (or so we have read in Exodus). Also consider – that you have just received a directive from G-d to ‘get the word out’ about the recently published laws or ‘commandments’ and […]
This week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, is about the lifelong process of figuring out who we are and who we want to be.
In the beginning of the parshah, God speaks for the first time to Abraham. The parshah begins with Lech lecha,” go for yourself, from your land, from the place where you were born […]
Today’s parashah, Kedoshim, is chock full of rules, and they fall into various categories. One category is called called chukim. These are commandments that seem to make little sense. An example prohibits us from mixing linen and wool in our clothing. Why is this sinful? Gd says it’s so, and so it is. Oh, various […]
Of the messages in this week’s Parasha (which is the parasha that is located actually in the very center of the entire Torah), Acharei Mot literally means, ‘After the Death’ in reference to the deaths of Aaron’s sons Nadav & Avihu.
It is said that after one hears the title of the Parasha the intent […]
What makes us feel good? What gives us joy? In a world, seemingly tearing itself apart, how do we maintain humanity? Some Dvar’s will speak to your mind and arouse your intellect. Today, I wish to speak to our hearts and souls that inspire and inform our intellect and our actions.
Today’s Parsha speaks of Blessings […]
When I think of Passover, I don’t think of it as a time for going to shul… at least not until the last couple of days when we say Yiskor. The seder is the ultimate Jewish experience because it happens in the home, lending credence to the thought that Judaism is away of life, not […]
