Defining Greatness – Emor

Defining Greatness – Emor

In Kedoshim, the portion of the Torah that teaches us how to be holy, we learned that being a holy person, is primarily focussed on interpersonal relationships. The classic themes of holiness refer to asceticism, a serious demeanor, and so on, may be part of the...
Be Holy!  Kedoshim Tihiyu

Be Holy! Kedoshim Tihiyu

The title of the Parsha is Kedoshim. This is a section about holiness. Moshe commanded the Jewish people to be holy, what are the parameters of holiness and explained that holiness is perhaps the underlying theme of being a Jew. “You should be holy; because I am...

The Danger of Renaissance

Rav Yanai was a giant in his generation, the generation immediately following the leadership of Rebbe Yehudah Hanasi. After a long period of persecution by the Roman Empire and the Hadrian Decrees, Rebbe Yehudah HaNasi ushered in a new generation of renaissance. He...

Keep It Honest

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When any man of you bringeth an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd or of the flock.” The word used for “any Man’ in the Torah is ADAM. The usual noun...
Choosing Your Grandfather

Choosing Your Grandfather

“He is a wise child who chooses a good grandfather.” I recently spoke at a conference of baalei teshuvah. Someone came over and introduced himself to me as a great grandson of the Pnei Yehoshua. While in college he learned that he had such an illustrious...