Descartes was wrong. He said “I think, therefore I am,” but in this week’s Parsha we see otherwise. This week, we have a double Parsha of Vayakhel and Pekudei. In Vayakhel, it talks about how Hashem filled Betzalel, Oholiav and all of their helpers with the wisdom necessary to construct the Mishkan and its vessels.… Continue reading I am, therefore I must think.
Shimon and Levi
The Talmud tells us in three places “All is in the hands of Heaven, except the fear of Heaven” (Brachot 33b, Megilla 25a, Niddah 16b). One frequent interpretation of this is that while a person’s characteristics, aptitudes, skills, etc are predestined, one can choose to use this for good or for ill. An agile person… Continue reading Shimon and Levi
Ki Sisa- Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off, and Get Back in the Ring known as Life
The parsha commences with the counting of Bnei Yisrael and continues with the sin of the Golden Calf (The Jewish People worship a golden calf, which is considered idolatry.) A question I just thought of was even if the Jewish People thought that Moshe was not returning, why would that prompt them to start serving… Continue reading Ki Sisa- Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off, and Get Back in the Ring known as Life
Shabbat Duality: The Value of Inaction
In this week’s Parsha, right after discussing the details of the construction of the Mishkan the Hashem instructs Moshe to tell the Jewish people about Shabbat. There it states (in full): וְאַתָּה דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֵאמֹר,אַךְ אֶת-שַׁבְּתֹתַי, תִּשְׁמֹרוּ: כִּי אוֹת הִוא בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם, לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם–לָדַעַת, כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם. וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם, אֶת-הַשַּׁבָּת, כִּי קֹדֶשׁ הִוא, לָכֶם; מְחַלְלֶיהָ,… Continue reading Shabbat Duality: The Value of Inaction
Shabbos
A fantastic piece from the Meshech Chochma, R’ Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (bigraphy here). The Pasuk says: וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת כִּי קֹדֶשׁ הִוא לָכֶם מְחַלְלֶיהָ מוֹת יוּמָת כִּי כָּל הָעֹשֶׂה בָהּ מְלָאכָה וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מִקֶּרֶב עַמֶּיהָ – Keep the Sabbath, for it is a sacred thing for you. Those who desecrate it shall be put to death, for… Continue reading Shabbos
Judging a book by its cover
Contrary to common belief and practice, there are very few instances where Judaism actually cares about what clothing you wear. This weekend we will experience two out of the four such instances. These are: Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, when we wear white; Tu B’Av, when single girls borrow each others’ dresses; Purim, when we… Continue reading Judging a book by its cover
“For I am the Lord, Who Loves Justice”
Terumah 5770 The Beis HaLevi asks why the Parshah of donations, Terumah, follows the Parshah of civil law, Mishpatim. He answers, that this is to teach us that before a person can begin to give tzedakah with his money, he must meticulously ascertain that none of his wealth has been acquired in a manner that… Continue reading “For I am the Lord, Who Loves Justice”
Interconnected Pieces
[This Dvar Torah is based on an idea I heard from Rabbi Yaakov Hillel when he was in Los Angeles a few months ago.] This week’s parsha discusses the construction of the Mishkan and all of its vessels in great detail. Hashem tells Moshe to create two poles made out of acacia wood and covered… Continue reading Interconnected Pieces
The Simcha of Adar
The Netivot Shalom states that true simcha is being שמח בחלקו (happy with what one currently has). How does Adar (and Purim in particular) function to increase this simcha, if true simcha is an internal mindset, not based on external settings? The Netivot Shalom elaborates that Purim represents an אור לגלות, a sign that Hashem… Continue reading The Simcha of Adar
Human Master or Divine Authority?
In this week’s parsha, the Torah discusses the laws of eved ivri – a Jew who is sold as an indentured servant to another Jew. If a man steals and cannot afford to pay restitution, he is sold into slavery for up to 6 years. Alternatively, a man can voluntarily, because of severe poverty, choose… Continue reading Human Master or Divine Authority?