Parshas Chukas Sfas Emes, Zechuso Tagein Aleinu, Parshas Chukas The Sfas Emes begins this m’amar with a quote from the Zohar. The Zohar notes that our parsha starts: “Zos chukas haTorah” (“This is the Torah’s decree … “). By contrast, in Sefer Devarim (4:44-45), the Torah communicates the same message, but does it with very…
Category: 613 mitzvos
Parashat Sh’lach / פרשת שלח־לך
Parsha Summary for Parshas Shlach Note: The Shabbos Torah Reading is divided into 7 sections. Each section is called an Aliya [literally: Go up] since for each Aliya, one person “goes up” to make a bracha [blessing] on the Torah Reading. 1st Aliya: Moshe sends the Spies on their mission. 2nd Aliya: The Spies return…
Parashat Nasso / פרשת נשא
naso Portion Commentary Messiah the Avenger Thought for the Week: Messiah is our redeemer. He has redeemed us from slavery, from sin, from condemnation and from death. He is our kinsmen redeemer, our brother in the house of God, who has ransomed us from the debt we could not pay. Therefore, we speak of Him…
Parashat Tazria-Metzora
Parashat Tazria-Metzora (She Bears Seed-Infected One) TORAH READING Leviticus 12:1 – 15:33 HAFTARAH II Kings 7:3 – 7:20 In the Torah portion Tazria, God instructs Moses about the purification rituals for mothers following childbirth. God then describes to Moses and Aaron the procedures for identifying and responding to those infected with leprosy. In Metzora, God…
Parashat Terumah / פרשת תרומה
God spoke to Moses… Some say that this was said to Moses during the 40 days on the mountain (Tanna DeBei Eliahu Rabbah 17; Lekach Tov on Exodus 35:1; Ibn Ezra; Baaley Tosafoth; Zohar 2:194a, 224a). According to others, it was said after the Golden Calf, when Moses went up for the second set of…
Parashat Shemot / פרשת שמות
Shemot 1:101הבה נתחכמה COME ON, LET US DEAL WISELY — Wherever הבה is used it has the meaning of preparing oneself and making oneself ready to do a particular matter; it signifies as much as: get yourself ready for this (cf. Rashi on Genesis 11:4 and Rashi on Genesis 38:16). 2נתחכמה לו LET US DEAL…
Life-Threatening Situation
Uncertainty About a Life-Threatening Situation Question: If one desecrates Shabbat on behalf of an ill person and it turns out that the action one performed that desecrated the Shabbat was actually unnecessary, does one require atonement for this transgression? Answer: If one desecrated Shabbat for no good reason, such as driving on Shabbat under non-life-threatening circumstances, certainly…
Noah’s Sacrifices
Noah’s SacrificesUnderlying the present parshah of Noah and the ensuing parshiyos, which tell the story of the patriarchs, is the quest for the Holy Mountain of G-d, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Adam’s body had been created from the dust and earth of the Temple Mount. And “to dust you will return!” — mankind must…
Parashat Chayei Sara / פרשת חיי שרה
Genesis 23:2 with Sforno, Midrash Tanhuma Source Sheet by yaakov Saavedra בראשית כ״ג:ב׳ (ב) וַתָּ֣מָת שָׂרָ֗ה בְּקִרְיַ֥ת אַרְבַּ֛ע הִ֥וא חֶבְר֖וֹן בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַיָּבֹא֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם לִסְפֹּ֥ד לְשָׂרָ֖ה וְלִבְכֹּתָֽהּ׃ Genesis 23:2 (2) And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba—it is Hebron—in the land of Canaan; Abraham came to grieve for Sarah and to weep for her. ספורנו על בראשית…
Parashat Ha’Azinu / פרשת האזינו
Torah Reading: HA-AZINU, Deuteronomy 32: 1-52 THE SONG OF G-D’S JUSTICE Some songs are happy, some are sad. Some are for entertainment. Some come to tell a story or teach a lesson. Some express the inner heart and soul. Unique among all songs is the song of Moses in our parshah. HA-AZINU is the song of…
Parashat Ki Tavo / פרשת כי־תבוא
Parashat Ki Tavo is the 50th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Deuteronomy 26:10 – 29:8 Summary Parshat Ki Tavo In this parashah, Moses tells the people that when they come into the “land of milk and honey” (“Ki Tavo” means “when you enter”) and have settled there, each of them…
Parshas Ki Teitzei
When you go out to war against your enemies and HASHEM your G-d will deliver them into your hands and you will capture its captivity. (Devarim 21:10)The Torah only speaks versus the “negative inclination” (Rashi)“When you go out to war against your enemies…” In this verse we find the strategy for success in war against our most dangerous enemies.The Lubavitcher Rebbe saw in…
You must be logged in to post a comment.