Many Jewish ceremonies can only be performed in the presence of a Minyan — a quorum of ten adult Jewish males. The same is true of certain prayers, such as Kaddish, as well as the reading of the Torah. The Minyan represents a core cummunity. The source in the Torah that teaches us that ten […]
The command to observe the Shabbat is almost always prefaced by the statement, “you shall do your work for six days etc.” Why the need for this prologue related to the regular week? Why doesn’t the Torah just tell us about the actual day of Shabbat? One possible reason is that the Torah is making […]
On the Shabbat preceding Purim (tomorrow morning) we read a special portion of the Torah called “Parshat Zachor”, which speaks about the obligation to wipe out the memory of Amalek. It is a Torah commandment to hear this portion read in the synagogue every year. Our Sages teach that the numerical value of “Amalek” is […]
I heard a beautiful dvar torah at the Chabad center in Eilat on parshat Terumah, in the name of the Lubavitcher Rebbe ZT”L, that I’d like to share. Why does the Torah spend so much time discussing the building of a mishkan that would only be relevant in the wilderness? The Torah is teaching us […]
I’ve often wondered, why didn’t Moshe’s children play a role in the leadership of the Jewish People? I think the answer can be found in this parsha, which begins with the words, “And Yitro heard.” According to the Midrash, cited by Rashi, Yitro heard about the miracle of the splitting of the sea, and the […]
The Torah and the Sages teach that the Jews were spared the hardships of the plagues. For example, while the Egyptian was stricken with boils the Jew standing beside him was completely healthy. The final plague, however, presented a different scenario. God tells Moses to tell the Jews to place the blood of the slaughtered […]
In this week’s parsha, Bo, Moshe demands that Pharaoh let the Jews out to worship God. When Pharaoh asks who would go, Moshe tells him everyone, men women, children, and even their animals. Pharaoh accuses Moshe of trying to “pull a fast one”, and agrees to release only the men, for only they worship. Was […]
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