Category Archives: Torah Portion

“You shall love your fellow as yourself” a well-known commandment, is one of the many mitzvahs between man and his fellow which we learn about in this week’s Torah portion.  Before bringing this mitzvah, the Torah also commands us, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fellow and doContinue reading “Kedoshim 5779”

I wanted to share this week a few short ideas connected to Pesach. As a follow-up to what I wrote two weeks ago in Parshat Tazria about the attribute of humility, I found in a booklet of Breslov teachings about Pesach a diary entry by Rebbe Noson.  He writes there that being able to combineContinue reading “Pesach 5779”

“Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: This shall be the law of the metzora on the day of his purification: He shall be brought to the Kohen.” (Chapter 14, Verses 1-2)  The Sages learned from this verse (תורת המצורע) that even someone who has a type of skin blemish and is considered a metzora, or hasContinue reading “Metzora 5779”

“Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: “Speak to the Children of Israel, saying: When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male, she shall be contaminated for a seven day period, as during the days of her separation infirmity shall she be contaminated.” (Chapter 12, Verses 1-2)  After discussing the laws of impurity which resultContinue reading “Tazria 5779”

At the end of this week’s parsha there is a chapter which talks about the laws of kashrut, which types of animals are kosher to eat and which are not.  This chapter also discusses which objects become contaminated due to contact with a non-kosher small, creeping animal: “And if its carcass will fall upon anyContinue reading “Shmini 5779”

“This is the law of the feast peace-offering that one will offer to Hashem: If he shall offer it for a thanksgiving-offering, he shall offer with the feast thanksgiving-offering unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of scalded fine flour mixed with oil.” (Chapter 7, Verses 11-12)  Rebbe Noson teachesContinue reading “Tzav 5779”

This week we start reading the third book of the Torah, Vayikra, or Leviticus in English.  The beginning of this book has several parshas about the laws of offering sacrifices in the Tabernacle and the Holy Temple.  What can we learn from these laws today, when we don’t have the Temple and we don’t haveContinue reading “Vayikra 5779”

Our Parsha, the concluding one in the book of Exodus, begins with a detailed listing of the amounts of gold, silver, and copper that were contributed for the construction of the Tabernacle (Artscroll commentary).  “These are the reckonings of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of Testimony, which were reckoned at Moshe’s bidding.” (Chapter 38, Verse 21) Continue reading “Pekudei 5779”

“Moshe assembled the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and said to them: ‘These are the things that Hashem commanded, to do them: ‘On six days, work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem…’” (Chapter 35, Verses 1-2)  Before beginning to detailContinue reading “Vayakhel 5779”

“The people saw that Moshe had delayed in descending the mountain, and the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Rise up, make for us gods that will go before us, for this man Moshe who brought us up from the land of Egypt- we do not know what became of him!’”  Shortly afterContinue reading “Ki Tisa 5779”