With this week’s double parshios, Matos-Masei, we once again close the turbulent book of Bamidbar. We have journeyed with the Israelites as they departed - triumphant - from Har Sinai and prepared for their entry into the Holy Land - נֹסְעִים אֲנַחְנוּ אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם, We are traveling,...
In this week’s parsha, Parshas Pinchas, the Torah details the different korbanos (sacrificial offerings) to brought on the various holy days. In regard to the korbanos brought on Rosh Chodesh - the beginning of the new month, according to the cycle of the moon -...
In this week’s parsha, Parshas Balak, Balak, king of Moav, hires Bilaam, a prophet from the nations of the world, to curse the Jews, who seem to have spread over the eye of the land as they approach Eretz Yisrael. Despite Bilaam’s repeated attempts to curse...
In this week’s parsha, Parshas Chukas, we learn of the death of righteous Miriam, the prophetess and leader of the women; we learn of the death of peaceful, loving Aharon ha’Kohen, high atop Hor Ha’Hor; and we learn of the predicted death of our leader,...
In this week’s parsha, Parshas Korach, under the direction and persuasion of Korach, a first cousin of Moshe and Aharon, the elite of the nation stage a rebellion against the leadership of Moshe and Aharon. “Is not the entire nation holy?!” Korach rhetorically asks and...
In this week’s parsha, Parshas Shelach, we learn of the tragic sin of the scouts sent to tour the Land of Israel and bring back a report to the Israelites camped in the desert wilderness. What is the land like, Moshe instructed the scouts to...
At the end of this week’s parsha, Parshas Beha’alos’cha, the Torah tells us that Miriam and Aharon spoke about their brother Moshe, in regard to the wife he took (and that he subsequently separated from, by instruction from and command of G-d). For the lashon...
As we open the fourth book of Torah this Shabbos, Sefer Bamidbar and Parshas Bamidbar, we recall the vast and barren desert wilderness, Bamidbar - in the desert, wherein our forefathers and mothers roamed for forty years. In the desert we wandered; in the desert we...
In the first of this week’s double parshios, Parshas Behar, we learn of the mitzvah ha’telu’yah ba’Aretz (a mitzvah kept only in the land of Israel): Shemittah, the seventh Sabbatical year. The Torah tells us that when we come to the Land, for six years we...
In this week’s parsha, Parshas Emor, the Torah takes us on a journey through the Jewish calendar year. דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם, מוֹעֲדֵי ה’, אֲשֶׁר-תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ--אֵלֶּה הֵם, מוֹעֲדָי - And Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and...