THE UNDERDOG One of the most beloved Jewish philosophical works, Sefer HaKuzari, was written by Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi over a period of twenty years and completed in 1140. Part historical novel, the book records a dialogue between Bulan, the eighth-century King of the Khazars (a powerful...

MAKE THEM HOLY “The Lord spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am Holy. Each of you shall fear his mother and his father and...

FREE AT LAST! Today, the 5th Iyar, is the 77th anniversary of the founding of the State. However, Yom Haatzmuat is observed two days earlier on 3 Iyar, so that the celebrations will not cause the desecration of Shabbat. In May 2018, our family was privileged...

JUST KEEP QUIET “Each of the sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, took his fire-pan and placed in it fire, and placed incense upon the fire, and they offered before the Lord strange fire that he had not commanded them. Fire emerged from before the Lord...

THE SPLIT SEA AND THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN Marriage as an institution is under attack. More and more couples do not see the need to formalise their relationship and are choosing simply to cohabit. People are also marrying much later in life and the divorce rate...

PHYSICAL FOOD, SPIRITUAL REWARD Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant (Eastern Europe, 1810-1883), or as he is better known, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, was a prince among men. His towering intellect alone would have sufficed to ensure his memory would never be forgotten among his people. His many...

SELF-SACRIFICE “When a soul offers a meal-offering to Hashem, his offering shall be of fine flour; he shall pour oil upon it and place frankincense upon it.” (Vayikrah 2:1) In reference to an animal sacrifice, the Torah states (Vayikrah 1:2), “when a person (adam) among you brings...

The number four appears several times at the Pesach Seder: four cups of wine; four sons and four questions. The significance of the number four is related to God’s promise to Moshe shortly before the ten plagues began, and contains four verbs (Shmot 6:6-7): “Therefore...

THE DAILY CENTURY “The hundred talents of silver were to cast the sockets of the Sanctuary and the sockets of the Partition; a hundred sockets for a hundred talents, a talent per socket.” (Shmot 38:27) Included in the audit of the metals used to build the Mishkan...

THE COMMUNITY “Moshe assembled the entire congregation of the children of Israel and said to them: These are the matters that the Lord commanded to perform them.” (Shmot 35:1) The key verb in this sentence from which the parsha derives its name is vayakhel, “he assembled” or...