The Israelites are approaching the end of their journey to the Promised Land. In preparation for the next stage a census is performed, and the population is recorded. Immediately following the enumeration of the people, the Torah deals with the apportionment of the land. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Among these shall the land be Continue Reading »
“How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!” Bamidbar / Numbers 24:5 Balaam’s praise of Jacob’s tents and Israel’s dwelling places is amongst the most famous of biblical passages. Over the centuries it has been understood in a variety of ways. The BeSh’T(1) said a Jew’s “ohel/tent” is his ḥitzoniyut, his external appearance; it should Continue Reading »
… the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “You and your brother Aaron take the rod and assemble the community, and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its water… “Listen, you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock?” Bamidbar 20:8,10 Our Torah portion contains the well-known narrative in Continue Reading »
For all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. -Bamidbar / Numbers 16:3 Our parasha opens with a challenge to the authority of Moses and Aaron as leaders of the Israelites. Korah and his cohorts, Datan and Aviram, “rise up against Moses together with two hundred and fifty Continue Reading »
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace. B’midbar / Numbers 6:26 The K’tav Sofer (1) begins his commentary to our verse, the third and final passage of Birkat Kohanim, the priestly blessing, by citing Midrash Rabbah on the Book of Numbers which states: Peace when you enter, peace when you depart, Continue Reading »
Forgotten Holiday: Lost Holy Day Over the years in the various communities I have served, the days leading up to the festival of Shavuot trigger a variety of questions including: “Rabbi, there’s a holiday this/next week?” “Rabbi, what’s this holiday all about anyway?” And a personal favorite, “Rabbi, is this an important holiday or a Continue Reading »
“Se’u et rosh…” “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by the clan of its ancestral houses, listing the names, every male, head by head. B’midbar/Numbers 1:2 The Israelites have just celebrated the first anniversary of their liberation. Sefer B’midbar, the Book of Numbers, returns our attention to the Israelite wanderings in the wilderness Continue Reading »
The second of our two parshiyot designated for this Shabbat opens with the words, “If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments” (Vayikra/Leviticus 26:3) prompting the great medieval commentator Rashi1 living in 11th century France to state, “Be diligent and dutiful in your engagement with Torah so that you might observe and fulfill Continue Reading »
If your kinsman is in straits and has to sell part of his holding, his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his kinsman has sold. Vayikra / Leviticus 25:25 Underlying the entire structure of the Sabbatical Year and the Jubilee Year presented in our Torah portion is a deep concern for individuals and the Continue Reading »
A Tidbit of Torah – Parshat Emor 5784 As soon as the sun sets, he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat of the sacred donations, for they are his food. Vayikra/Leviticus 22:7 Rabbi Avrohom Bornsztain of Sochov1 begins his comment on our verse by noting that the Mishnah in Berachot sets the time Continue Reading »
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