It’s long been said that laughter is contagious, and now, it turns out, so is happiness. Happiness is not an individual but a collective phenomenon, according to a new study released online Thursday in the British Medical Journal. The study, which followed almost 5,000 people over 20 years, found that happiness can spread through three… Continue reading Be’ha’alscha- Happiness is Contagious
Smelling the Roses
In this week’s parsha we are presented with the famous Pesukim said when taking out and returning the Torah from the Ark in shul. וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן, וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה: קוּמָה יְהוָה, וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ, וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ, מִפָּנֶיךָ.וּבְנֻחֹה, יֹאמַר: שׁוּבָה יְהוָה, רִבְבוֹת אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said:… Continue reading Smelling the Roses
Nasso- Can’t Borrow me Love
The Lord said to Moses, Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. So they… Continue reading Nasso- Can’t Borrow me Love
Bamidbar- Strength in Numbers
All the men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out last, under their standards. (Numbers 2:31) Rashi comments in Parshas Beha’aloscha (10:25) that the tribe of Dan went last to collect anything (or anyone) that was left behind when the 12 tribes ventured from place to place. The people… Continue reading Bamidbar- Strength in Numbers
Nothing to fear…
וְנָתַתִּי שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ, וּשְׁכַבְתֶּם וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד. וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי חַיָּה רָעָה, מִן-הָאָרֶץ, וְחֶרֶב, לא-תַעֲבר בְּאַרְצְכֶם “And I will place peace in the land, you shall repose there; there will be nothing to scare you. I will restrain any dangerous animal from the land, a sword will not cross your land.” (Vayikra 26:6) This פסוק comes amidst the… Continue reading Nothing to fear…
Behar/Bechukosai- What is The Secret of His Immortality?
CONCERNING THE JEWS … “If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of.… Continue reading Behar/Bechukosai- What is The Secret of His Immortality?
Emor- A Smack of Love
A child comes home from school and tells his father that his Rebbi hit him for misbehaving. The father called up the Rebbi and asked him if that was indeed what had happened. The Rebbi confirmed the reports and mentioned that because he was a Rebbi and like a father to his students, he had… Continue reading Emor- A Smack of Love
Some Thoughts from Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch on Parshas Emor
Dibur and Emor differ as “speaking” and “informing.” Speaking is the expression of thought in words, without any consideration of its being accepted by the hearer, but informing is always “telling somebody.” One can speak to oneself, but not inform. Dibur is the concise expression of a thought, Emor is addressing the same to the… Continue reading Some Thoughts from Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch on Parshas Emor
Taking Responsibility
At the end of this week’s Parsha we come across an interesting story. A man, born to a Jewish mother (from the Tribe of Dan) and an Egyptian father, gets into an argument with one of the other Jews. In the course of the disagreement he pronounces the name of Hashem and curses Him. The… Continue reading Taking Responsibility
Stark Contrast
Acharei Mot is notable for a startling contrast: Opening with the laws describing the office of the Kohen Gadol, as he stands before the holy of holies, seeking the atonement of the Jewish people on the most important day of the year – the parsha than turns its attention to our most primal appetites. In… Continue reading Stark Contrast