The Call to Build the Mishkan This week’s Torah reading continues with the project of the building of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle – center of worship). Moses gathers the Jewish […]
Weekly Torah Portion
Take a Contribution or Give a Contribution? In the beginning of this week’s Torah reading, the Almighty gives the order to initiate a fundraising campaign to finance the Mishkan (Tabernacle). […]
Equal Opportunity In this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Mishpatim, the Torah warns a judge to reject false claims. It would be superfluous to say that one cannot accept outright false […]
Confounding Criticism In this week’s Torah reading, Yitro (Jethro), the father-in-law of Moshe (Moses), joins the Jews in the desert. The following day, after Yitro enters the camp of the […]
Fear before Belief? In this week’s Torah reading, as the Torah describes the splitting of the Yam Suf (Red Sea), the Torah says that the Jews became fearful of God […]
A Miraculous Change of Heart In this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Bo, prior to the Jews being liberated, the Torah relates a surprising fact. The Torah tells us (Shemot 11:3,12:36) […]
Jealousy in the Torah לֹא תַחְמֹד בֵּית רֵעֶךָ לֹא תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ וְשׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ Do not covet your fellow’s house. Do not covet your fellow’s wife, or his servant […]
Why Did God Inflict Disaster? In this week’s Torah reading, God commanded Moshe (Moses), time after time, to strike the land of Egypt with plagues, as a consequence for Pharaoh’s […]
A Sign of Laxity? In this week’s Torah reading, Moshe (Moses) approaches Pharaoh and tells him to free the Jews from their slavery. Pharaoh refuses to do this, and in […]
Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz I would have thought that the name of a child should be something inspiring, uplifting, or full of hope. Yet in the Torah, […]