The Power of Zeal
G-d instructed Abraham to take his beloved son Isaac, bind him on to an alter, and sacrifice him to G-d. The Torah reports that Abraham "ROSE UP IN THE MORNING" to perform G-d's will with enthusiasm and zeal. Bilaam intended to place a fatal curse on the Jewish...
The Argument
Many people enjoy a good argument. It helps clarify the issues, it creates a passion, challenges the mind and stimulates the heart. Much of the development of Judaism was through machlokes. Arguments were never considered a tragedy. I can remember being challenged to...
You are What You See
The people of Israel needed to see for themselves. They needed to check out Israel with their own eyes before they would agree to the Land of Israel as their homeland. This little due diligence that they performed, however, had catastrophic consequences which seemed...
The Miriam Vision
Miriam couldn't move and the Jewish people didn't want to wait. The Jewish people were ready to move. They were on their way to Eretz Yisroel. Miriam couldn't move. Miriam became ill with Tzoraas (a form of spiritual leprosy) and had to be in quarantine for seven...
Why is G-D Showing me This Picture?
The Baal Shem Tov once said: If a person, going about their business, encounters something ugly like corruption or violence, he or she should stop and think. Why is G-d showing me this picture? There must be a reason. The scene before us is a mirror, which reflects an...
Holiness in Judaism
In today's parsha we read about the various restrictions applying to kohanim (or "priests", although I am uncomfortable with this translation, for reasons which will become clear). For example, a kohen may not "contaminate himself" ("lo yitama", whatever that means...
Jewish Self Consciousness
Do not shame My holy name; sanctify me amongst the people of Israel, I am G-d. (Vayikra 22; 32) This is a strange juxtaposition. Chilul Hashem is the biggest aveira. Kidush Hashem is the biggest mitzva. One would think that the person prone to making a chilul Hashem...
How to Choose an Orange
In this week’s parsha, we find the Jews journeying in the desert. They have not yet developed a national character—nor do they have a country. But for now they are travelling from one country, Egypt, to another, Canaan, and being warned severely against emulating the...
The Boutique Shul
In order for the world to work as designed, with peace and holiness, the Presence of Hashem, the Shechinah, must be embedded into the world. To achieve this we needed a project that would bring all the tribes of Israel, in spite of their differences, together. The...