Tag: Behar

Admiration!

This week, while studying Daf Yomi – a systematic worldwide daily page of Talmud study – I came across the following. The Gemorah/Talmud asks, what words do the congregation recite when the Chazon recites Modim/Thanks during his repetition of the Amidah. The Gemorah quotes the opinions of five Sages. Each one presented a particular expression …

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I Believe!

Today is the festive day of Lag B’Omer – the 33rd day of the Omer count. Lag B’Omer is a break in the reflective and more subdued time between the Holidays of Pesach and Shavuos. Our Sages teach us that during this period, 24,000 students of the famous Rebbe Akiva all passed away from the …

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Escalate!

Daf Yomi, is a page of Talmud that is studied daily by tens of thousands of people around the world. On the page studied this past Shabbos is a statement made by Elijah the Prophet. “On Yom Kippur, the Satan, who prosecutes on High, is silenced and has no power to indict the Jewish people.” …

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What Happened!

A few weeks ago I received a very disturbing call from Stephen, an old family friend. His voice was faint and he was breathing heavily. He told me he was at home dying from corona and he wanted to tell me how much I, my family and my extended family meant to him. He also …

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Rhythm!

Our Parsha begins with the Mitzvah of Shemitta – the Sabbatical seventh year when it is prohibited to plant or make improvements in gardens and fields the Land of Israel. It is also prohibited to do commerce with what grew wild in the fields. During the Shemitta year; the land is considered ownerless – thus …

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Powerless to Potential

(Torah Portion Behar) Powerless to Potential One of the laws in this week’s Torah portion deals with one who became impoverished and had no resort other than to sell his ancestral allotted parcel of land in Israel. The law states that after two years following the sale, a relative of the seller may redeem the …

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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 …

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Letter as a Guarantee

(Torah Portion Behar/Bechukosai) Letter as a Guarantee In the second Parsha we read this week, the Torah describes the wonderful blessings we will receive when we observe G-d’s Commandments. The Torah continues, telling us that if we ignore the commandments, we are warned of great suffering and insecurities that will plague the nation. During G-d’s …

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What Are We

(Torah Portion Behar) What Are We At the beginning of this week’s portion G-d spells out the laws of Shemitta – the seventh year which is the Sabbatical year. All fields in the Land of Israel must remain fallow, with all productive work in the fields and all commerce with the Sabbatical produce forbidden for …

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Slight Change

(Torah Portion Behar/Bechukosai) Slight Change! King David was always on guard to preserve the integrity of the lineage of the Davidic dynasty. King David’s great grandmother was Ruth, a Moavite princess who converted. King David throughout his life was concerned because the Torah forbids a Moavite convert to marry a Jew. Before Ruth married Boaz, …

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