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 »
A Tidbit of Torah – Parshat Kedoshim 5784 “Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Vayikra / Leviticus 19:2 The Holy Blessed One said to Moses: “Go and say to Israel: ‘My Continue Reading »
The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they drew too close to the presence of the Lord. Vayikra / Leviticus 16:1 Our parasha opens with these heavy words, picking up the narrative regarding the tragic and incomprehensible deaths of Aaron’s two sons in chapter 10. Continue Reading »
Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! Bees, and giraffes, and elephants, oh my! Whales, and leopards, and bison, oh my! Monkeys, and birds, and rhinos, oh my! Today is Earth Day. As we mark Earth Day this year, the number of species in decline globally is growing exponentially. Environmental scientists warn that we are Continue Reading »
Moses said: “This is what the Lord has commanded that you do, that the Presence of the Lord may appear to you.” Vayikra / Leviticus 9:6 Our teacher, ha-Chozeh MiLublin, the Seer of Lublin(1), observes that the dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) seems to create a differing set of expectations on the part of God and Continue Reading »
A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go out. Vayikra/Leviticus 6:6 Our parasha describes the initiation of formal worship by our Israelite ancestors after having completed the construction of the Mishkan while encamped at the foot of Mt Sinai. Through an elaborate series of religious rituals the Mishkan is consecrated, Continue Reading »
…’Cause everyone’s crazy ’bout a sharp-dressed man.1 As we begin the book of Vayikra/Leviticus, Aaron and his sons will finally begin using the elaborate vestments prepared for them as worship is inaugurated in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Regarding this attire the Torah instructed: Make sacral vestments for your brother Aaron, for dignity and adornment. Next Continue Reading »
The silver of those of the community who were recorded came to 100 talents and 1,775 shekels by the sanctuary weight: a half-shekel a head, half a shekel by the sanctuary weight, for each one who was entered in the records, from the age of twenty years up, 603,550 men. The 100 talents of silver were for Continue Reading »
Moses then convoked the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do: … 4 Moses said further to the whole community of Israelites: Sh’mot / Exodus 35:1, 4 Our Torah portion opens with Moshe gathering all the Israelites together to give them God’s Continue Reading »
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