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 Shabat Shira – Symbol of Life's Paradox .: Viewed: 2389 times :.
After Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea praising G-d (Exod. 15:1-18) has been sung, the nation – and the reader – are in a state of euphoria; thus, neither the nation nor the reader is prepared for the series of failures that Israel encounters in the second half of Parashat Beshalach: "And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur;...
Published: January 21, 2013 |
Election Fever – How to Stop the Slander and Hatred .: Viewed: 2548 times :.
Many people in Israel are now afflicted with Election Fever. This "malady"" causes people who support different political parties to verbally attack each other. This is classic Lashon Hara V' Sinat Chinom. How can we avoid falling into the vicious cycle?
The Chofetz Chaim offers a profound explanation of the root of Sinat Chinom and Lashon Hara. The catalyst of discord is the focus on...
Published: January 12, 2013 |
Why G-d Chose Moshe as Redeemer and Giver of the Torah .: Viewed: 2584 times :.
Rabbenu Bachye regards the burning bush as a revelation that our nation, despite its hardships, is eternal. “The burning bush conjures up the image of a lowly nation in iron chains, constantly aflame with suffering. Threatened on all sides and against all odds, the Jewish People continue to survive miraculously among their enemies.” This interpretation is found in Midrash Shemot,...
Published: December 30, 2012 |
Did Joseph and his Brother's invent the Jewish Getto? .: Viewed: 3008 times :.
Goshen in Egypt was the first “ghetto” in Jewish history. Historians say that every place and every time, it was the Jews who created the ghettos, as a way to keep apart from the people among whom they lived and so that they could live in a Jewish atmosphere among themselves. The non-Jews only erected the walls and gates to the ghettos, in order to prevent the Jews from leaving...
Published: December 23, 2012 |
Chanukah – Symbol of the G-dly, Eternal Soul .: Viewed: 2878 times :.
The Festival of Chanukah celebrates two miracles – the miraculous military victory over the Syrian Greeks and the supernatural phenomenon of one small cruse of oil supply for one day providing light for eight days. The miracle of the light, however, is the main focus and central theme of this Festival.
Thus, according to Halacha, when we light the candles in celebration of...
Published: November 29, 2012 |
G-d's Angel – The Original Iron Dome .: Viewed: 2642 times :.
The name of the current IDF operation in Gaza is "Amud HeAnan", "Pillar of Cloud". Where does this name come from? It comes from Shemot:14 verse 19."The angel of G-d who had been going in front of Israel moved and went behind them, and the Pillar of Cloud moved from in front of them and went behind them." Rashi explains this verse as meaning that the angel of G-d became the Pillar of Cloud for...
Published: November 21, 2012 |
A Constant Awareness of Jewish Suffering .: Viewed: 3645 times :.
Hundreds of thousands of our fellow Jews are under attack by rockets and missles from Gaza. Some are wounded physically, but many more are traumatized emotionally and suffer from shock, including many children. What should be our reaction in the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv area who are so far not under attack? How do we show solidarity with our suffering bretheren?
The Torah tells us that Moshe...
Published: November 13, 2012 |
The Rise and Fall of the Angels .: Viewed: 2740 times :.
“ Yaakov had a dream: a ladder was set on the ground and its top reached up toward heaven, and angels of G-d were going up and down on it.” (Bereshit: 28:1)
What is the meaning of this heavenly ladder? The ladder that was standing on the ground showed Yaakov that we must use the physical world as a ladder with which to elevate ourselves by serving G-d. Through our service of...
Published: November 12, 2012 |
Wine in Judaism : Tikun For The Sin Of Adam & Noach .: Viewed: 4542 times :.
Why is wine so essential to Judaism? All of our sacred occasions are accompanied by the drinking of wine. To find the answer we must look into the Talmud. The Talmud discusses the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, wondering what type of fruit it was (B. Berachot 40a; B. Sanhedrin 70 a-b). Three opinions are presented.
According to one opinion, the forbidden fruit was wheat. This...
Published: October 15, 2012 |
Did G-d Have A "Need" To Create The World ? .: Viewed: 6335 times :.
Throughout the act of Creation, after each major step such as the creation of light, water and vegetation, the Torah tells us that va-yar Elohim ki tov , "and G-d saw that it was good." Taken literally, these passages strike us as grossly anthropomorphic, as if the Creator of the universe is a Cosmic Artist who, after every significant addition to His composition, steps back to admire His...
Published: October 10, 2012 |
Simchat Beth Hashoeva: Playing with Fire .: Viewed: 2665 times :.
All the festivals are times of rejoicing, but only Sukkot is called zman simchateinu (season of our happiness). While today we immediately think of Simchat Torah when it comes to joy, the Mishna ( Sukkah 5:1) tells us about a ceremony held on Sukkot that “he who has not seen the rejoicing at the place of the water-drawing has never in his life seen true rejoicing.”
Something...
Published: August 27, 2012 |
Rosh Hashana's Paradox: On Trial Or On Parade? .: Viewed: 5174 times :.
In the Torah, Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year is called yom trua (a day of blowing the trumpets; Numbers 29:1). Although trumpets are generally sounded on joyous occasions, here the trumpet or, more specifically the shofar (ram's horn) signifies a solemn holiday, when we are all put on trial, we all stand before the supreme Judge, G-d. This trial continues for 10 days until Yom Kippur...
Published: August 26, 2012 |
Is Aramaic a Part of Hebrew? .: Viewed: 2595 times :.
In last week’s column we showed that speaking Hebrew is a Mitzvah. If so, why did the Rabbi's of the Talmud converse in Aramaic? The Babylonian Talmud was written in Aramaic and not in Hebrew. The Biblical Book of Daniel is written partly in Aramaic. Even the Torah itself in Bereshis 31:v.47 has an Aramaic phrase. The Talmud Yerushalmi Sotah 7:2 answers this question by stating,...
Published: August 19, 2012 |
Is There A Mitzva To Speak Hebrew? .: Viewed: 3560 times :.
Rashi in Devarim 11 on the verse "to speak in them" quotes the Sifrei that when a child first begins to talk, his parents should speak to him in Hebrew and teach him Torah, and this will guarantee the child a long life. This same idea is found in the Tosefta in Chagigah which states that when a child knows how to talk, his parents should teach him Hebrew.
The clearest source which...
Published: August 7, 2012 |
Tu BÂ’Av (15th of Av): Celebrating Burial of the Dead? .: Viewed: 2648 times :.
The Gemara says in Taanis (30b) that no Festivals were more joyous or brighter for the Jewish People than the Fifteenth of Av (Tu B’Av) and Yom Kippur. What was so special about the Fifteenth of Av? There are several opinions in the Gemara. According to one opinion, this was the day on which those, killed in Beitar, were brought to burial. When the Romans slaughtered the people of...
Published: July 30, 2012 |