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Parashat Vayikra – Good Character in the Face of Uncertainty
During one of the most difficult times of Jewish history, the siege of Jerusalem (70 C.E.) by the Roman army, with over 1.1 million civilians. Many of those civilians traveled to Jerusalem from Babylon and Egypt to celebrate the yearly Passover, but instead, got trapped in the chaotic siege, unable to return home. The city […]
Parashat Vaykhel-Pekudei-Hahodesh – Opportunity for Renewal
This being the Shabbat that falls on before the first of Nissan, we read an additional portion, the section of Hachodesh (Exodus 12:1-20), which relates G‑d’s words to Moses in Egypt two weeks before the Exodus, instructing us to set the Jewish Calendar by the monthly new mood, and to regard Nissan as the “head of months.” “Parshat Hachodesh” is in a […]
Parashat Ki Tissah-Parah – Better Tomorrows
We read in the Parasha this week about how the nation succumbed to their feelings of despair at the absence of Moshe, their leader, and created the golden calf. Rabbi Shneor Zalman of Lidia in Sefer Hatanya writes, “A person’s drives are related to the degree of one’s intellect.” For example, when children have a […]
Parashat Tatzaveh – Unearth the Boundless Joy
During WWII, a Nazi approached a Jewish concentration camp inmate with a sadistic challenge. “Figure out which one of my eyes is fake, or I kill you,” he proposed. The Jew looked closely at both eyes and immediately pointed to the fake one. “How did you know?” the Nazi asked, taken aback. “You bear so much […]
