60 seconds with Esther: Parshat Terumah
Today’s Spark by Esther In this weekly torah portion minute we talk about Moshe’s ascent to the heavens… Check out more from Esther on her youtube channel: Click here.
IN THIS WEEKS PARSHA: Vayetzei
When Yaakov awoke from his vision, he exclaimed, “Truly! G-d is in this place and I didn’t know it!” Had he known, he would not have slept there. But if Yaakov, son of Yitzchak and grandson of Avraham, who spent his whole life in Torah study, could fail to perceive […]
IN THIS WEEKS PARSHA: Toldot
When Rivka experienced the pain of her twin sons wrestling in her womb, she went to seek G-d’s advice. Some say she went to Shem, son of Noach, while others say she went to a different prophet, perhaps even Avraham himself. But why didn’t she go to her own husband, […]
IN THIS WEEKS PARSHA: Vayeilech
This week we learn about the mitzvah of hakhel. Every seven years all the Jews would gather in Jerusalem. Men, women, and children. The men came to learn, the women came to hear, and the children? The children came to give reward to those who brought them. There was really […]
IN THIS WEEKS PARSHA: Ki Teitzei
The Torah this week speaks of the beautiful war captive. Before a soldier may take her as his bride he must bring her into his home, cut her hair and nails, give her plain clothing to wear, and let her cry for her parents for 30 days. At the end […]
IN THIS WEEK’S PARSHA: Shoftim
The Torah portion begins by saying, “You shall appoint judges and officers for yourself.” The Judges rule how to behave and the officers enforce it and ensure people act as they have been told. R’ Moshe Feinstein says that the word, “lecha, for yourself” is very important. We must each […]
In This Week’s Parsha: Chukas
Even King Solomon, the wisest of men, couldn’t understand the mysteries of the red heifer, a cow that was burned and its ashes used to purify people. Our Sages say that it atones for the sin of the Golden Calf. “Let the mother come and clean up the mess of […]
IN THIS WEEK’S PARSHA: SHLACH
The Torah gives us the mitzvah of Tzitzis, the command to place fringes on a four-cornered garment. The fringes would include one made of Techeiles, wool dyed a special shade of blue. It was intended to remind us of the sea, which would remind us of the sky, which would remind […]
Parshat Behar
(Based on Sichas Shabbos Parshas Behar 5725) At the very end of this week’s Parsha, we see the laws of non-Jews owning Jewish slaves. Megillat Esther (7:4) compares Am Yisrael in galut (exile) to the case which we see in our Parsha of a Jew being sold into slavery to a non-Jew. When one […]
Parshat Emor
In the first Pasuk of our Parsha, we see a double language between the words “Emor” and “VeAmarta”, “Speak” and “Say”. Rashi explains the double language to mean that aside from teaching the Kohanim to observe the following mitzvot (“Emor”), the Kohanim should be warned to educate their children in […]
PARSHA: Vayera
#PARSHA #VAYERA #GOODSHABBOS Life is full of tests (just in case you hadn’t noticed!). When referring to our great-grandfather Avraham, we are told that he also went through tests, ten of them and overcame them all. Why is this aspect of Avraham so important and, in general, how can we get a […]
PARSHA: Bo
#PARSHA #BO #SPARK Different Strokes for Different Folks And so that you may relate in the ears of your son and your son’s son that I made mockery of Egypt and my signs that I placed among them – that you may know that I am Hashem. (Ex. 10:2) God sent 10 […]
PARSHA: Vayetzei
#PARSHA #VAYETZEI “And Yaakov worked seven years for Rachel and they were like a few days because of his love of her.” The famous question. Isn’t waiting for the person you love like an eternity? Did you every read a really great book? Remember when the fat side was the pages […]