Shabbat Kodesh Parashat Behaalotcha We will read this Shabbat about further complaints in the desert: וְהָֽאסַפְסֻף֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ הִתְאַוּ֖וּ תַּאֲוָ֑ה וַיָּשֻׁ֣בוּ וַיִּבְכּ֗וּ גַּ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֥י יַאֲכִלֵ֖נוּ בָּשָֽׂר׃ The riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonous craving; and then the Israelites wept and said, “If only we had meat to eat! זָכַ֙רְנוּ֙ אֶת־הַדָּגָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נֹאכַ֥ל בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם חִנָּ֑ם אֵ֣ת הַקִּשֻּׁאִ֗ים וְאֵת֙ …
Rav Gershon’s Shiur
Thoughts beyond Shabbat Nassó Studying in Ponevezh Yeshiva, Bnei Brak (the original Yeshiva was founded in Lithuania in 1908) during the nineteen-eighties was the aspiration of any bright boy in Yeshiva Ktana (high school). I was thrilled to be accepted. The Yeshiva was at the time led by three Tora-"giants". The most famous lecturers of our generation were teaching under one roof. Of them, most well-known was Rav Shach. …
Twice on Asereth Hadibrot
Shavuot We will read on Shavuot the Ten Commandments.Which one is the most challenging for us to keep?Perhaps - the last one. That is : לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד בֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ לֹֽא־תַחְמֹ֞ד אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֶ֗ךָ וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ֙ וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ וַחֲמֹר֔וֹ וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃ "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house: you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male …
Shabbat Kodesh Parashat Bamidbar
Counting differently We will read on Shabbat: „וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר סִינַ֖י בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד בְּאֶחָד֩ לַחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית לְצֵאתָ֛ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֹֽר׃ On the first day of the second month, in the second year following the exodus from theland of Egypt, יהוה spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, saying: שְׂא֗וּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ֙ כׇּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֖ם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם בְּמִסְפַּ֣ר שֵׁמ֔וֹת כׇּל־זָכָ֖ר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָֽם׃ Take a census of the whole Israelite company [of fighters] by the clans of its ancestral houses, listing the …
“Dwell securely in your land”
Shabbat Kodesh Parashat Behar-Bechukotai We will read this Shabbat: אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃ If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, וְנָתַתִּ֥י גִשְׁמֵיכֶ֖ם בְּעִתָּ֑ם וְנָתְנָ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יְבוּלָ֔הּ וְעֵ֥ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִתֵּ֥ן פִּרְיֽוֹ׃ I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit. וְהִשִּׂ֨יג …
As WE do it…
Shabbat Kodesh Parashat Emor We will read on Shabbat : וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם מוֹעֲדֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם מִקְרָאֵ֣י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֵ֥לֶּה הֵ֖ם מוֹעֲדָֽי׃ שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶשׁ כׇּל־מְלָאכָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ שַׁבָּ֥ת הִוא֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה בְּכֹ֖ל מוֹשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃ אֵ֚לֶּה מוֹעֲדֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה מִקְרָאֵ֖י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם בְּמוֹעֲדָֽם׃ …
Shabbat Kodesh Parashat Achrei Mot-Kedoshim
Danger of (over) self-confidence... This week's (first) Parsha starts with the highest point in the Jewish calendar and in detailing what the highest regarded person (Cohen Gadol) is doing on that holy day. The Parsha concludes with a stark warning against engaging in rather low kinds of indecent behaviour. A dramatic change within the same weekly reading! Perhaps it is intended to remind us that …
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Together at the Seder…
Pesach 5783 / 2023 The opening words of the Haggadah are: הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִּי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. “This is the bread of oppression our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come in and eat.” Lord Sacks ז"ל is wondering: "What sort of hosts …
Chacham… Rasha, Tam…
Pesach 5783 / 2023 We will read in the Haggadah : Blessed is the Omnipresent One (Hashem), blessed be He! Blessed is He who gave the Torah to His people Israel, blessed be He! The Torah speaks of four children: One is wise, one is wicked, one is simple and one does not know how to ask.The most famous part of the Haggadah (after ma Nishtana) is the description of the …
The small Alef…
Shabbat Kodesh Parashat Vayikra Hashem called to Moshe and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying: ויקרא אל משה וידבר ה' אליו מאהל מועד לאמר Why is there a very small Alef א in the word ויקרא? Baal Haturim explains: The small Alef teaches us that Moshe, when writing the Torah and in his humility, originally intended to write in a similar manner “vayikar ויקר, which means …