Rabbi's Weekly Message
Perashat Ki Tabo 5777
Friday, September 08, 2017Perashat Ki Tabo always comes near the end of the Jewish calendar year, and the subject of happiness is specifically mentioned twice. The perasha opens by commanding the Missva of Bikkurim, the Commandment of the First Fruits. A Jewish farmer was required to take the first ripened fruits to the Beit Mikdash and present them to the Kohen in a ritual that included a moving declaration of gratitude to Hashem for the bounty. The Torah then commands the farmer to be happy with the produce that Hashem granted him as it says, "You shall rejoice with all the goodness that Hashem has given you...". (Debarim 21:11) ...
Read more...Perashat Ki Tesse 5777
Friday, September 01, 2017This week's perasha opens with the words, "When you will go to war against your enemies, and Hashem, your G-d, will deliver him into your hand, and you will capture his captivity." Rabbi Yosef Haim Azulay, the Hida, notes that the pasuk starts with speaking about going to war against "enemies" in plural, but then switches to singular form, "Hashem... will deliver him into your hands." ...
Read more...Perashat Shofetim 5777
Friday, August 25, 2017In this week's perasha, Shofetim, there is a very interesting pasuk: "You shall be wholehearted with Hashem, your G-d". This pasuk appears right after the commandments which forbid emulating practices used by the nations to foretell events. Rashi explains as follows: "Conduct yourself with Him with simplicity and depend on Him, and do not inquire of the future; rather, accept whatever happens to you with [unadulterated] simplicity". In other words, we should follow Hashem with perfect faith without feeling a need to know what will happen. ...
Read more...Perashat Re'eh 5777
Friday, August 18, 2017The first few words of Perashat Re'eh have many of the classic Torah commentators puzzled. The perasha begins with the pasuk "Re'eh anokhi noten lifnekhem hayom berakha veklala", "See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse". This pasuk contains an interesting paradox. The word re'eh, meaning see, is in singular form, whereas the word lifnekhem, meaning you, is the plural form. Why is it that the Hashem is addressing us both in the singular, or individual, form and the plural form in the same sentence? ...
Read more...Perashat Ekeb 5777
Friday, August 11, 2017This week's perasha is Ekeb, which according to Rashi, literally means "heel." Using this terminology then, the first passuk translates as "This shall be on the heel of your hearkening to these ordinances, and you observe and perform them; Hashem, your G-d, will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers". ...
Read more...Perashat Vaethanan 5777
Friday, August 04, 2017In the beginning of this week's Perasha, Moshe Rabenu recounts to Benei Yisrael how he pleaded in prayer to Hashem to allow him to enter the Land of Israel. Our sages tell us that he prayed 515 prayers as is the numerical value of the word Vaethanan. Why would Moshe Rabenu reveal to 'Am Yisrael that no matter how much he pleaded, Hashem continuously refused his requests? ...
Read more...Perashat Debarim 5777
Friday, July 28, 2017Every year Perashat Debarim is read on the Shabbat preceding Tish'a B'Ab. Therefore it follows that there must be a strong connection between our perasha and the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash and Jerusalem, as described in Megillat Eikha, The Book of Lamentations, which we read on Tish'a B'Ab. Among the parallels between the two texts is the use of the word "Eikha", a rare rendition of the word "How". ...
Read more...Perashot Matot-Masei 5777
Friday, July 21, 2017In Perashat Matot it seems like everyone is in a race against time. As the era of the desert is almost over and 'Am Yisrael are about to enter the Land of Israel, everybody feels that time is running out and that they must grab as much as they can before it will be too late. The astute businessmen of the tribe of Gad and Reuben, having caught wind of the chance for opportunity, make a contingency plan. As true businessmen they make a brilliant economic calculation. They have a lot of sheep and cattle and in the Trans-Jordan there are great pastures and lush open fields. It's a simple calculation; they want to grab this deal quickly before it ends. In order to seal this deal, they agree to leave their families and neglect their children's education so that they can fight alongside their brethren in securing the west bank of the Jordan and the rest of the Land of Israel for the other tribes. All of a sudden, the holiness of the Land of Israel and their children's education is not important to them; they are even ready to forgo the physical and spiritual security that the Land of Israel has to offer them and their posterity. All they see in front of their eyes are the potential economic gains of more plentiful fodder for their animals. The smell of cheap hay has gotten to their heads....
Read more...Perashat Pinhas 5777
Friday, July 14, 2017This week's perasha, Pinhas, is a continuation of last week's perasha which described the wicked sorcerer Bil'am's failure to curse Benei Yisrael. Despite his failure, he had one last hope. Knowing that sexual morality is the foundation of Jewish holiness and that Hashem does not tolerate immorality, Bil'am advised Balak to entice Jewish men to engage in debauchery. Balak was so determined to destroy Benei Yisrael that he succeeded in convincing the aristocracy of his people to send their daughters to carry out this plan. In the beginning they were only successful in enticing the masses, the young and the restless, but their intent was to entice the major leaders such as Moshe. Having failed to do that, they turned to the leaders of lesser rank and finally succeeded in ensnaring Zimri, a prince of the tribe of Shimon. In a shocking exhibition of brazenness he brought his paramour Kozbi, a Midianite princess, right in front of Moshe and the elders at the entrance of the Tent of Assembly and sinned in public view. Moshe and the elders were shocked to the point that they were at a loss as to how to react. At the same time, a plague started in the Israelite camp as a reaction to these sins. Nobody reacted to this event except for Pinhas, the grandson of Aharon. Pinhas could not tolerate the blatant disrespect to Hashem, and he slayed Zimri and his paramour right in front of these leaders. Thus the plague was stopped. ...
Read more...Perashat Balak 5777
Friday, July 07, 2017Our perasha this week, Balak, deals with an extraordinary event in the Torah. While most of the Torah deals with stories that are happening within the nation, this week we are dealing with a narrative that takes place outside the encampment of the nation of Israel in an enemy territory called Moab. ...
Read more...Apr 28 2024
Nisan 20 5784