Torah Columns
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At the beginning of Chapter 24, the Torah informs of us of Bilaam’s third attempt to curse the Israelites – which will once again turn into a blessing, in this case, the most famous of the three. “When Bilaam realized that G-d desired to bless Israel, he did not seek out the occult forces (“nechashim”) as he had done before. Instead, he set his gaze toward the desert. When Bilaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel dwelling at peace by tribes, G-d’s spirit was on him.” more
I remember, as a high school student, hearing our Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Shlomo Riskin relate one of the questions he used to ask when interviewing prospective rebbe’im (rabbinic teachers) for our yeshiva high school. more
There are so many things in life that are impossible to understand, and yet every now and then, we are afforded the opportunity to get a glimpse, as if through a momentary clearing of the fog, of what it’s all about. How important is it for us to comprehend all that we do? Where lies the balance between pure faith on the one hand, and our need to understand, on the other? more
When it comes to discussions about the Parah Adumah (red heifer), many look to its symbolism or try to find a message in the concept of a “chok,” typically defined as a “mitzvah without a reason.” Some focus on the unique quality of how the Parah Adumah mixture was metaher temeim and metameh tehorim (purified those who were impure, and made the pure (the one doing the sprinkling) impure). more
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, my sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, and Shifra bat Chaim Alter, the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam, Yehonatan Binyamin Halevy ben Golda Friedel, and Moshe Reuven ben Chaya, and in honor of the joyous birth of a baby girl to my children, Devorah and Zevie Burger. more
An unofficial theme of the book of Bamidbar is that the strings of narratives are connected thematically. The most quoted example of this is the first critique given to the spies of Parshat Shlach, who did not learn from the tale of Miriam’s tale-bearing punishment. more
In Israel, even a bus ride can become an existential experience. There are many Jews with a more conservative approach to modesty within Jewish tradition, who are very uncomfortable sitting next to someone of the opposite sex. I recall, once, on a long, crowded bus ride from Haifa to Jerusalem, watching a fellow in a long black coat and black hat struggling with this issue. more
This week’s portion, Shelach, contains one of the most challenging stories in the entire Torah: the story of the spies. “Sh’lach Lecha’ Anashim Ve’Yaturu …” “Send out spies for yourselves…” (Numbers 13:1) more
In his introduction to the book of Bamidbar, Nachmanides posits that the majority of the mitzvot of this book were commandments for the specific time period of wilderness travel and would not be applicable once they reached the land of Canaan/Israel. more
While Chapter 11 in the book of Bamidbar bears little resemblance to the famous reorganization process of the Bankruptcy Code, it does have a series of setbacks that seem to put the people in a negative light. Disobedience, complaining, people getting punished by fire, or their bodies suffer the effects of too much quail. more
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