The Parallels Between the Egyptian Exile and the Babylonian Exile

Laban was the First Amalekite

Completing the Book of Leviticus

Kohanim, Firstborns, and the Mikdash

The Chiastic Recapitulation of Yithro in B’ha’aloth’cha

The narrative of Exodus seems to stick to a generally chronological order. However, when we arrive at chapter 18, we read that Jethro joined Israel at Sinai, even though we only hear about the people leaving Rephdim and arriving at Sinai in chapter 19, verse 2. The sages and subsequent commentators have debated whether Jethro … Continue reading →

The Land of Israel as Part of the Jewish People

The Torah applies halachoth that govern Jewish men to the land of Israel, and the condition of the land of Israel is THE indicator of how well the people of Israel are keeping the covenant. We are supposed to keep the land in our possession so that we can observe the commandments within the land. Selling the land so that it can not keep the essential commandments it is meant to keep is like a Jew selling himself into slavery to a gentile so that he would be compelled to violate the prohibitions of the Torah. It is a shortcut to the ultimate punishment: the land leaving Israelite hands, and the Jews being deprived of keeping the Torah, the vitality of their very existence.  Continue reading →

Preparation for Pentecost

Death of the Righteous as the Sanctification of God’s Name

 יָקָר בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה הַמָּוְתָה לַחֲסִידָיו This verse can literally mean that the death of God’s pious ones is seen as something valuable in God’s eyes, so to speak, but the classical commentators explain that the key word, yaqar, means something meant to be valuable or precious because it is rare. That is, God does n … Continue reading →

Wayaqhel-P’qudei 5781

Parashath Ki Thissa 5781