The plague is over, the story of Pinchas and Zimri Ahas reached its conclusion, and it is time for the Israelites to move on. G-d instructs Moshe to count the people, and in 26:4 he and Elazar … more

Shabbos Shuva is named for the first word in the Haftorah, but it also refers to the fact that the Shabbos falls between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, when we are experiencing the Aseret Y’mei … more

The end of Parshat Re’eh is one of the few times in the Torah that the holidays are presented. Noticeable is the instruction to be joyous on the holiday, a point noted once for Shavuot (16:11), … more

Another terror attack in Israel on Sunday morning. This time not “random.” This time, an Arab co-worker who knew his victims tied them up and murdered them. Does it get more evil than … more

In the context of a discussion about what materials could be used for building a sukkah, the Gemara Sukkah (11b) raises a debate between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Akiva regarding of what material the original sukkah G-d described in Vayikra 23:43 was made. The verse says “[You will sit in the sukkah because] I had the Israelites live in huts (sukkahs) when I brought them out of Egypt.” more

Nechama Leibowitz was fond of teaching her students to find the “milah mancha” – a shoresh (root noun or verb), word or phrase that appears numerous times in a given section. In Parshat Ki Tavo, a surprising “milah mancha” is the root of the word “simcha,” meaning joy. While the word only appears in three contexts, each instance brings its own set of immeasurable valuable lessons. more

When we read the parshas surrounding the building of the Mishkan, we are reminded of the fealty we, the Jewish people, are to have to Shabbat. The laws of Shabbat are derived from the proximity of … more

After discovering questions that never bothered me before, and using learning skills acquired in classes taught by the late Rabbi Mordechai Breuer, a new approach to the dreams that Yosef … more

The King of Egypt discovers that the woman he brought into his chambers is married to Avraham. “What have you done to me?” he demands of Avraham. “Why didn’t you tell … more

One of the questions which gets much emphasis nowadays is whether the Torah discriminates against kohanim who have some kind of deformity, blemish, or disability. This is an outcome of looking at the … more