Vayikra 5772

  • Hope and Optimism

    (Torah Portion Vayikra) Hope and Optimism The primary focus of this week’s Torah portion is the laws of sacrifices and offerings that were presented on the Temple altar. One of the penitential sacrifices discussed in the portion is when a High Priest ruled erroneously on a particular law and then himself followed his incorrect ruling. …

  • Touching the King’s Scepter

    (Torah Portion Tzav) Touching the King’s Scepter This Shabbos is called Shabbos Hagadol – the great Shabbos. Let us examine how this Shabbos got its name. The Talmud explains that on the Shabbos before the Jews left Egypt, each Jewish family took a male lamb and tied it to their bedpost. When the Egyptians saw …

  • Freedom in a Flash

    Last days of Passover 5772: Freedom in a Flash We are all familiar with the four questions asked at the Seder that begin with the words, “Mah Nishtanah – Why is this night different than other nights of the year.” What is puzzling is that the Hagaddah does not answer all the questions. It explains …

  • Strength and Control

    (Torah Portion Shimini) Strength and Control The Torah recounts a tragic episode where Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu, were put to death through a fire that descended from the Heavens when they offered sacrifices on the first day of the dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The reason they were deserving of such a punishment …

  • The Consequence of the Spoken Word

    (Torah Portion Tazria/Metzorah) The Consequence of the Spoken Word We are all aware of the ill effects of slander, bad mouthing, defaming, insulting, spreading rumors, and name-calling, and that they can devastate people’s lives. The Torah demands that we be sensitive to the feelings of others and prohibits all of the above – even when …

  • A Unique Partnership

    (Torah Portion Acharai Mos/Kedoshim) A Unique Partnership The Talmud relates that there are three partners in the development of a human being; his mother, his father, and G-d. Parents contribute the physical parts while G-d infuses life and the soul. Ben Yehoyada brings a fascinating insight into the Hebrew word for a person – Adam. …

  • Rebbe Shimon

    (Torah Portion Emor) Rebbe Shimon! Today is the Thirty-Third day of the Omer count, which is known as Lag B’Omer. What makes this day so special? Almost two thousand years ago, 24,000 devout students of Rebbe Akiva, one of the greatest Sages in Israel, died during the period between the Holiday of Pesach and the …

  • In the Drivers Seat

    (Torah Portion Behar/Bechukosai) In the Drivers Seat Google is in the midst of experimenting with a driverless car which is steered by computers, cameras, and sensors, using Google maps for its navigation. Amazingly, the State of Nevada recently issued a license for a driverless car. In the seventies, Rabbi Pinchos Jung wrote an essay about …