Last week the Torah gave a detailed account of the structure of the Temple. This week, the Torah portion of Tetzaveh further discusses different elements relating to the Temple and its service. Primarily, the parshah describes the garments of the high priest (also including the garments of the ordin...

In this week’s parshah, we learn about the construction of the Tabernacle that the Jews were commanded to build in the desert. It is a well known concept in Jewish life that there exists a direct link between the Tabernacle and the day of Shabbos: Every single creative activity that was needed in ...

Near the end of this week’s parshah we come upon the well-known words of “Na’aseh Venishmah� (“We will do and we will hear�) that the Jewish nation expressed concerning their commitment to God and to following His commandments. The verse writes as follows: “…and they (the Jewish nati...

In this week’s Torah portion, we read about the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Within the Torah’s description of that untimely event, the parshah lists the “Ten Commandments� that were passed down to us from God. Let us focus on one of those commandments; that of Shabbos (the Sabbath). ...

Normal 0 Last week we developed the idea that the law of establishing the new month is meant to be a calling for us to internalize what changes may be necessary to make in our lives. But once we decide to undergo these changes, what’s the first step we must take? The answer is hinted at in the law...

Normal 0 In last week’s Torah portion, we read about the first confrontation between Moshe and Pharaoh, where Moshe demands that Pharaoh free the Jews from the Egyptian bondage. This request upset Pharaoh greatly and caused him to intensify the workload on the Jewish people. As a result of this, M...

Normal 0 This week marks the conclusion of the book of Genesis, the first of five books of the Torah. In brief, the parshah speaks of the final words that our forefather Jacob shares with his children and grand-children before his death, and it describes what occurs after his death, and the death of...

In this week’s Torah portion, we come across the story of Joseph and his descent into Egypt. Before being sold as a slave, Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers and the Torah depicts this event as follows: “…they cast him into the pit; and the pit was empty, no water was in it&#...

Normal 0 At the beginning of this week’s parshah, we learn about the confrontation between Jacob and Esau, his brother. To recall the history between them: Jacob had received blessings from his father, Isaac, when these blessings were originally meant for Esau. Esau, convinced that Jacob had stole...

Today’s parashat is about the intricacies of building the traveling tabernacle in the desert. A seemingly benign and boring parashat has a strange underlying theme. If G-d is every where in Heaven and Earth why do the Israelites have to build a space to house the relationship with G-d. As with the...