• The Torah Wants Us To Question

    פרשת שמיני / י”ט באדר ב’ תשפ”ב

    The word inquire is repeated twice in this week’s parsha. They appear right in the middle. Equal distant from the beginning to end, This is to tell us that God does not want robots but he wants us to think and ask.

  • It Has To Be Earned

    פרשת שמיני / י”ח באדר ב’ תשפ”ב

    Aaron’s sons assumed that they would inherit their father’s position as priests of the nation. They took certain liberties in their actions. That is said to be one of the reasons that they were consume by a “strange fire”. According to the Torah, you have to earn your position. It is not just handed to you.

  • Judaism is Not a Spectator Sport

    פרשת שמיני / י”ז באדר ב’ תשפ”ב

    Why does the Torah spend time teaching us about keeping kosher in the middle of describing the ritual of the service in the Tabernacle? This is to teach us that service to God is not a spectator sport. You have to be in it to win it.

  • God is in the Details

    פרשת צו – שושן פורים / ט”ו באדר ב’ תשפ”ב

    While God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther (Migilat Esther), we do see God’s hand guiding the events of the story through the way the story is told. This is to teach us that God is in our lives if only we bother to pay attention.

  • Do The Right Thing

    פרשת צו / י”ב באדא ב’ תשפ”ב

    At the critical moment when Mordechai begs Esther to approach the king, she demurs. Mordechai reminds her that she is also under the decree. That if we need to do the right thing no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel.

  • What’s in a Name?

    פרשת צו / י”א באדר ב’ תשפ”ב

    The Book of Esther goes out of its way to bring up the lineage of both Mordechai and Haman. The reason is to show that the story of Purim is a Tikun, or a fixing, of the sin of Saul when he did not do the proper thing and kill Agog.

  • Why The Fast of Esther

    פרשת צו / י’ באדר ב’ תשפ”ב

    We fast the day before Purim. This is usually understood that Esther requested this due to the danger of going to the king without permission. This can also be understood that the reason for the story to begin with is that the Jews were not behaving properly at the beginning of the story

  • Our Answer to Evil

    פרשת ויקרא / ח’ באדר ב’ תשפ”ב

    Our answer to those who wish to destroy us is not just to merely survive. but to continue to live as Torah observant Jews. That is their ultimate defeat.

  • Destroy Evil

    פרשת ויקרא / ז’ באדר ב’תשפ”ב

    This Shabbat is Shabbat Zachor, in which we remember the commandment to destroy Amalek. Why does the Torah take such a strong stand against Amalek? To teach that there are some things that are so evil they must be destroyed.

  • Unblemished Offerings

    פרשת ויקרא / ו’ באדר ב’ תשפ”ב

    The Torah dictates that the offerings brought in the Tabernacle were to be unblemished physically and spiritually. This means that the animal offerings have to be healthy and that our intentions have to be pure. Also, that the offering cannot be acquired illegally.