Exodus
Shemot
Shemot: God Loves Arguers
I have become increasingly concerned about the assault on free speech taking place throughout the West, particularly in university campuses.[1]
5 Facts About Parshat Shemot that You (Maybe) Didn’t Know
וַֽיְהִ֗י כָּל־נֶ֛פֶשׁ יֹצְאֵ֥י יֶֽרֶךְ־יַעֲקֹ֖ב שִׁבְעִ֣ים נָ֑פֶשׁ וְיוֹסֵ֖ף...
Va'eira
Va'eira : The Power of Freewill
The question is ancient. If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, then it was God who made Pharaoh refuse to let the Israelites go, not Pharaoh himself. How can this be...
Searching for Happiness in the Parsha of Va'era
The story of the exodus from Egypt constitutes a yearly experience, imbued with great solemnity and intense emotion. It reminds us of the dreadful servitude endured by...
Va'era: The Plague of Frogs
The second of the ten plagues was that of sefardaya, frogs. Rashi cites a Chazal that describes how this plague manifested itself; at first one single frog emerged...
Bo
Bo: Asking Questions
It is no accident that parshat Bo, the section that deals with the culminating plagues and the exodus, should turn three times to the subject of children and the duty of...
In Search of Happiness Through the Parsha of Bo
The reading of this week's Parsha, which describes the liberation of the Jews from the throes of Egyptian servitude, is enough to warm the reader’s heart.
Beshalach
Beshalach: The Wind's Power
In September 2010, BBC, Reuters, and other news agencies reported on a sensational scientific discovery. Researchers at US National Center for Atmospheric Research and...
In Search of Happiness Through the Parsha of Beshalach
Happiness is a powerful feeling, awakening emotions concealed in the hearts of men and allowing them to experience a form of inner contentedness.
5 Facts About Parshat Beshalach that You (Maybe) Didn’t...
Discover and learn every week, "5 Facts" written on the weekly Parshah that you can share at your Shabbos table.
Yitro
The Pursuit of Happiness Throughout Parshat Yitro
Parshat Yitro represents a decisive and fundamental step in the constitution of the Jewish people. Indeed, the gift of the Torah that we witnessed, was the culmination...
Yitro: Justice or Peace?
The sedra of Yitro, which contains the account of the greatest Divine revelation in history, at Mount Sinai, begins on a note that is human, all too human. Yitro, priest...
5 Facts About Parshat Yitro that You (Maybe) Didn’t Know
Discover and learn every week, "5 Facts" written on the weekly Parshah that you can share at your Shabbos table.
Mishpatim
Mishpatim: God's Wake Up Call
First, in Yitro, there were the Aseret Hadibrot, the “ten utterances” or general principles. Now in Mishpatim come the details. Here is how they begin:
Mishpatim: Quest for Happiness in the Context of the Parsha
After receiving the Torah and hearing the "Ten Commandments" last week, we move on to our current parsha of Mishpatim, delving on how to observe the law we received at...
5 Facts About Parshat Mishpatim that You (Maybe) Didn’t...
Discover and learn every week, "5 Facts" written on the weekly Parshah that you can share at your Shabbos table.
Teruma
Teruma: Contemplating What We Create
The behavioural economist Dan Ariely did a series of experiments on what is known as the IKEA effect, or “why we overvalue what we make.” The name comes, of...
The Quest for Happiness in the Context of Parshat Teruma
Parashat Teruma rounds off the exodus and liberation of the children of Israel, which began with their departure from Egypt. Later, the gift of the Torah and the ten...
Teruma: Fighting Against Laziness
The Parsha begins with Hashem instructing Moshe Rabbeinu to tell the people to bring the raw materials necessary in order to build the Mishkan (tabernacle).
Tetzaveh
Tetzaveh: The Missing Name
Tetzaveh is the only sedra from the beginning of Exodus to the end of Deuteronomy, that does not contain the word “Moses”. For once Moses, the hero, the...
The Pursuit of Happiness in the Context of Parshat Tetzaveh
The Sages of the Talmud regularly debated on which verse of the Torah is the most important.
Tetzaveh: Holy Beginnings
The Parsha begins with HaShem’s instructions to Moshe Rabbeinu with regard to the people who would make the vestments that Aaron, the Kohen Gadol, would wear...
Ki Tisa
The Pursuit of Happiness Throughout Parshat Ki-Tissa
This week’s parsha continues to delve on the description of the sanctuary, which began in previous weeks. But the story is interrupted by the recounting of several...
Ki Tisa: The Mitzvah of Shabbat
In the immensely lengthy and detailed account of the making of the Tabernacle, the Torah tells the story twice: first (Ex. 25:1 – 31:17) as Divine instruction,...
Ki Tisa: The Mitzvah of Carrying Sinners
After the terrible sin of Chet Haegel(the Golden Calf) Moshe Rabbeinu pleads greatly for Hashem to forgive the Jewish people. After granting His forgiveness,...
Vayakhel
Vayakhel: Individual vs Community
At the beginning of Vayakhel Moses performs a tikkun, a mending of the past, namely the sin of the Golden Calf.
Rashi’s Mussar: God Desires the Hearts of Men
During the embolismic year period of 13-lunar months (384 days), we are privileged to study the Parsha of Vayakhel thoroughly and autonomously, without linking it to...
Vayakhel: One Deed Leads to Another
The Torah describes how the people eagerly came to donate their prized possessions towards the building of the Mishkan(Tabernacle).
Pekudei
Pekudei: Three Parsha Gems
Moshe Rabbeinu, a Thief ?! “This is the distribution of the tabernacle …”(Shemot, 38, 21) After the completion of the work of the Mishkan...
Pekudei: Be Active
Sitting is the new smoking. So goes the new health mantra. Spend too much time at a desk or in front of a screen and you are at risk of significant danger to your health.
Pekudei: The Value of the Mishkan
“These are the reckonings of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of Testimony, which was reckoned at Moshe’s bidding.
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Shabbat Times
Candle Lighting - New York
Friday April 26th, 2024 at 19:29 *Shabbat ends at 20:33 *
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