Parshas Korach recounts one of the most tragic episodes in the Torah. Korach - a first cousin of Moshe and Aharon - together with Dasan, Aviram, and two hundred and fifty leaders of the nation (most of whom were from the tribe of Reuven), challenges...
Toward the end of Parshas Shelach, following the episode of the spies, the Torah introduces the mitzvah of hafrashas challah (Bamidbar 15:17-21). Hashem commands: וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר, דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם בְּבֹאֲכֶם אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה...
In the beginning of Parshas Naso, the Torah continues the census of the nation. Hashem commands Moshe: נָשֹׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן - Take a census (lit. lift up the heads) of the sons of Gershon (Bamidbar 4:22). On a simple level, the Torah is...
With the arrival of Shavuos, we celebrate one of the most transformative moments in Jewish history: Matan Torah. More than a commemoration of a past event, Shavuos is the annual re-experiencing of our standing at Har Sinai and our acceptance of the Torah anew. Yet unlike...
Parshas Bamidbar is always read the Shabbos before Shavuos, the yom tov that commemorates Matan Torah. Chazal teach us that this juxtaposition is not incidental. The Torah reading that precedes Shavuos carries within it an essential message about the preparation necessary to receive the Torah. At...
With the reading of Parshas Behar, the Torah presents a number of mitzvos that govern economic life, interpersonal responsibility, and sensitivity toward others. Among these is a pasuk that, at first glance, appears in the context of financial dealings, yet Chazal reveal its far deeper...
With the reading of Parshas Emor, the Torah presents the cycle of the Jewish calendar year (Vayikra 23). Beginning with Shabbos and continuing through Pesach, Shavuos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Succos, the Torah outlines the sacred times that shape the rhythm of Jewish life. At...
With the reading of Parshas Kedoshim, the Torah presents one of the most well-known and foundational mitzvos in all of Torah - the commandment to love one’s fellow as oneself. The pasuk teaches: לֹֽא־תִקֹּ֤ם וְלֹֽא־תִטֹּר֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י עַמֶּ֔ךָ וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ אֲנִ֖י ה, You shall not take...
With the reading of the parshios of Tazria and Metzora, the Torah turns to the laws of tumah and taharah (ritual impurity and purity), beginning with the ritual impurity of a woman after childbirth, followed by the complex and intricate laws regarding the metzorah (one...
With the onset of Chag HaPesach, we relive the foundational moment of our nation’s birth - yetzias Mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt. We recount the miracles, the plagues, the splitting of the sea, and the transformation of a nation of slaves into a people redeemed...