“And take for me Truma” The parsha opens by God asking the Jewish People to donate materials for the building of the Mishkan. It occured to me that unlike modern day projects which often is funded by grants or a single donor or perhaps the government, the Mishkan was actually donated (mostly) by the Jewish… Continue reading Trumah- Giving and Taking
Author: jlasson
Mishpatim- An Eye for an Eye
“An Eye for an eye…” Rashi explains that if one impales another person’s eye, one must pay that person the worth of his eye. [The worth one must pay depends on the worth of the injured person (with his eye) if he were sold in the marketplace.] So why does the Torah employ the literal… Continue reading Mishpatim- An Eye for an Eye
Yisro- To Warn the Parents About the Children
Decided to explore a Halachik topic from the Parsha this week…From the Sefer KMotze Shalal Rav Do not do Melacha/”work” (on Shabbos) : You, your son, your daughter, etc. Rashi comments: The simple explination is that this verse refers to minors being warned not to do work on Shabbos. Or [you might claim that it… Continue reading Yisro- To Warn the Parents About the Children
Va’era- Separate, but Equal
There is much written regarding the Four references to Redemption used by God in our Parsha- And I will take you out, And I will save you, I will redeem you, and I will take you as a nation. There is also a fifth reference to God bringing us to the Land of Israel. I… Continue reading Va’era- Separate, but Equal
VaYeshev- Cooler Heads Prevail
“And they saw him from afar, and when he had not yet drawn near to them, they plotted against him to put him to death. So they said one to the other, “Behold, that dreamer is coming. So now, let us kill him, and we will cast him into one of the pits, and we… Continue reading VaYeshev- Cooler Heads Prevail
Vayeitze- Brotherly Love
1 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all… Continue reading Vayeitze- Brotherly Love
Lech Lecha- Showing Off or Showing Up?
“This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.” (17:10) We are taught that Avraham kept every mitzva in the Torah before he (or anyone else for that matter) was even commended to, with one exception: the commandment to become… Continue reading Lech Lecha- Showing Off or Showing Up?
Noach- Speak Softly
“Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean (Anenu tahora) animal, a male and its mate”. (7:2) Why did the Torah use the language of Anenu Tahora when the simpler “Tameh” could have been used*? [The Torah usually prefers terse language.]… Continue reading Noach- Speak Softly
Shemos- Where You Want to Be
23 And it came to pass in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died; and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His… Continue reading Shemos- Where You Want to Be
Nitzavim/VaYalech- Have it Your Way
“You stand today, all of you, before the LORD your God: your chiefs, your tribes, your elders and your officers, even all the men of Israel, 11your little ones, your wives, and the alien who is within your camps, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water. Why does… Continue reading Nitzavim/VaYalech- Have it Your Way