In this week’s parsha, Parshas Shemini, we read of permitted and forbidden animals - those which we may consume, and those which we may not consume.  The Torah sums up these directives by instructing us to be holy: וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים, כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי -...

This week’s parsha, Parshas Ki Sisa, opens with the following words: And Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: כִּי תִשָּׂא אֶת-רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, לִפְקֻדֵיהֶם, וְנָתְנוּ אִישׁ כֹּפֶר נַפְשׁוֹ לַה’, בִּפְקֹד אֹתָם - When you take a census of the Children of Israel according to their counts, every...