Lamps and Flames
“…Speak to Aharon and say to him, “When you ignite the lamps, the seven lamps shall cast their light toward the face of the menorah…” – Bamidbar 8:2 דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ אֶת הַנֵּרֹת אֶל מוּל פְּנֵי הַמְּנוֹרָה יָאִירוּ שִׁבְעַת הַנֵּרוֹת – במדבר ח, ב The Talmud regards the menorah as a symbol of Torah study. Hence, our […]
Your Honor
“…Arise, O G-d, may Your enemies be scattered and may those who hate You flee from You…” – Bamidbar 10:35 קוּמָה ה’ וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ – במדבר י, לה Rashi explains that Moshe’s entreaty to G-d, “may those who hate you flee from you,” refers to those who hate the Jewish people. “for anyone who hates the Jewish […]
Fight for Your Rights
“…And G-d spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert, in the second year of their exodus from the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying: Bnei Yisrael shall make the Pesach sacrifice in its appointed time…” – Bamidbar 9:1-2 וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְמִדְבַּר סִינַי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן לֵאמֹר: וְיַעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַפָּסַח בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ […]
Searching for Connection
“…Why should we be deprived, that we may not bring the offering of G-d in its appointed season?…” – Bamidbar 9:7 לָמָּה נִגָּרַע לְבִלְתִּי הַקְרִיב אֶת קָרְבַּן ה’ בְּמֹעֲדוֹ – במדבר ט, ז The mitzvah of Pesach Sheni, the second opportunity to offer the Pesach sacrifice, is somewhat of an anomaly among the other mitzvos of the Torah. All the […]
I am Holy, Therefore I am Different
“…All the days of his separation, he is holy to G-od…” – Bamidbar 6:8 כֹּל יְמֵי נִזְרוֹ קָדֹשׁ הוּא לַה’ – במדבר ו, ח A nazir is an individual who chooses to dedicate himself to G-d, by vowing to abstain (usually for a limited period of time) from wine or any grape products, from cutting his hair, and from defiling himself […]
Just a Number?
“…Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel…” – Bamidbar 1:2 שְׂאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – במדבר א, ב According to Jewish law, if a mixture contains two components, and one is minute in comparison to the other, we regard the smaller component (under certain conditions) as negligible and insignificant. For example, if […]
Are You Seeing Things?
“…And all the people saw the sounds and the flames, the sound of the shofar, and the smoking mountain; and the people saw and trembled, and they stood from afar…” – Shemos 20:15 וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת וְאֶת הַלַּפִּידִם וְאֵת קוֹל הַשֹּׁפָר וְאֶת הָהָר עָשֵׁן וַיַּרְא הָעָם וַיָּנֻעוּ וַיַּעַמְדוּ מֵרָחֹק – שמות כ, טו From the Torah’s depiction of […]
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