Pesach begins next Friday night, and with it comes the longest mitzvah we can fulfill, the telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. In Maimonides’ count it is positive mitzvah 157. In … more

By Rabbi Avi Billet Issue of April 3, 2009 / 9 Nissan 5769 Ask anyone, “What are the commandments one fulfills on the night of the seder?” The numerous negative commandments related to … more

The very last verse in our parsha comes after the concluding and summarizing statement of the sacrifices of the princes. And it seems totally out of place. “When Moses came into the Ohel … more

Strange as it seems there’s been a run of crazy dreams,” sings the narrator in the musical about Joseph, and what is most needed is a dream interpreter. What a strange time to live in, … more

By Rabbi Avi Billet Issue of July 17, 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769 As difficult as it is to comprehend warfare and the tactics required to ensure survival of your side, Biblical warfare is a … more

Towards the beginning of Ki Tisa, the Torah gives us the first depictions of the Kiyor, the washbashin that was to be used by the Kohanim before they engaged in any Mishkan service. So important is … more

In this week parsha, Lech Lecha, we read about how when Avraham and Sarah embarked on their journey to the Land G-d would show them, they brought with them the “souls they made in … more

In times when Jews were the only people circumcising themselves (Islam did not yet exist, and ancient Egypt was a memory of the past) tyrannical governments and anti-Semitic regimes made themselves the police over Judaism’s oldest practice. The first commandment G-d gave to Abraham was to circumcise himself and all the males of his household. The climax of this commandment came when Yitzchak was born, and Abraham was able to circumcise his baby at the mandated hour, the eighth day of life. more

In his Yizkor sermon on Yom Kippur 1963 (“Body and Soul”), Rabbi Norman Lamm introduced a fascinating idea in the name of Rabbi Moshe Avigdor Amiel. Before Avraham, humans were referred to as basar (literally “humans” or “flesh”) — “Man shall leave his father and mother, and cling to his wife so they may become one basar (human/flesh).” “And all the basar (humans) died [in the flood].” more

Place these [vestments] on Aaron and his sons. Then anoint them, and install them, sanctifying them to be priests to Me. Also make linen pants to cover their nakedness, reaching from their waists to … more