Category: Culture

  • How To Become Holy

    The Book of Leviticus tells us about the Temple service. Yet it suddenly takes a detour to discuss societal issues. What we are being told is that the Temple is just a building unless we behave correctly toward our fellow man.

  • We Celebrate With Friends

    Any thanksgiving offering that we bring is too much for one person to consume. Yet it has to be consumed by the end of the day. This forces us to bring our friends to celebrate. This shows that the Pascal Sacrifice is also a Thanksgiving offering.

  • We Are United by Passover

    The Seder stresses the idea that there will always be those who wish to destroy us. That the defense against these threats is our unity.

  • The Source of Evil

    In the Seder we are admonished to set the teeth of the wicked son on edge. The reason is that the source of his being wicked are the words that he abuses.

  • Experience the Seder

    The real message of the Passover Seder is that it is not an intellectual account of the story but an experiential one. We are meant to experience leaving Egypt.

  • Be The Right Man For the Job

    The Torah first tells us what to do and then announces who will be the High Priest. This is to teach us that more important than who is doing the service, that the service should be done correctly.

  • Leaders Are Accountable

    There were special offerings given by the leaders if they inadvertently made a mistake, both the religious leaders as well as the religious. The reason is that people will base their decisions on what they do and say.

  • A New Beginning

    The first commandment that the Jewish people received was to declare the 1st of Nisan to be the beginning of the Jewish year. Rosh Hashanah is the day that the 1st man was created. The 1st of Nisan is when the Jewish people became a people.

  • Being Responsible for Our Actions

    The sin offering is brought for an unintentional sin. That is something that happened but was not intended. It is not an accident but it caused damage either spiritually or physically. We are still responsible for our actions.

  • Do The Right Thing

    The Torah gives a lot of rules and laws on the sacrificial service. The reason is to avoid us falling into anarchy and losing sight of what the service is for.