Rabbi Avi Billet
490 results total, viewing 31 - 40
One of the fun exercises I like to employ when studying Chumash is to attribute vague or ambiguous statements to the less obvious person. Let us read two familiar verses in Chapter 27. We’ll … more
The banishment of Yishmael and Hagar leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. How could Sarah justify throwing them out of the house? How could G-d tell Avraham to do exactly as Sarah told him? … more
Other than former current events, nothing dates a Jewish book more than when discussing or quoting a deceased great rabbi with “Rabbi So and So, shlit’a, says...” The term … more
In the listing of ingredients for the proper pursuit of holiness, the Torah puts reverence of one’s parents and the observance of the Sabbath at the fore front, on just about an equal … more
Our 21st century minds may find the purification process of the metzora unsettling. “Take two live birds, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. Have one bird killed in an earthen vessel over … more
A number of midrashim pose the question (ascribed either to Rabbi Yoseh, Yosi, or Dosa), “Why do children begin learning the [Chumash] from the section about korbanot … more
Open a chumash with Rashi on this parsha, Vayakhel, and the first thing you notice is … there is no Rashi. You can count on your hand the number of comments Rashi provides on chapters … more
The term Kodesh Kodashim appears in the Torah 18 times, twice in Parshat Ki Tisa. However, not once does it refer to the Holy of Holies, the section of the mishkan which houses the aron. The … more
A previous column discussed the father-in-law-son-in-law relationship, using Lavan and Yaakov as the model protagonists. This week we will explore the same relationship through the eyes of … more
Before they went out of style, mother-in-law jokes were very popular. Have you ever heard of a father-in-law joke? I have not, but I suppose if anyone were to author such a joke, it would be our … more
« Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 49 | Next »