מִקְדָּשׁ רִאשׁוֹן מִפְּנֵי מָה חָרַב — מִפְּנֵי דְּבָרִים שֶׁהָיוּ בּוֹ: עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וּשְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים. Due to what reason was the First Temple destroyed? It was destroyed due to matters that existed in the First Temple [including]: Idol worship and bloodshed. מִקְדָּשׁ שֵׁנִי מִפְּנֵי מָה חָרַב? מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָיְתָה בּוֹ שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם. לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁשְּׁקוּלָה שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם כְּנֶגֶדContinue reading “Shabbat Parah 5786: That Golden Calf, Again”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Shabbat Zakhor: Remember to Forget – what?
וְהָיָ֡ה בְּהָנִ֣יחַ ה’ אֱלֹהֶ֣יךָ ׀ לְ֠ךָ֠ מִכׇּל־אֹ֨יְבֶ֜יךָ מִסָּבִ֗יב בָּאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר ה’־אֱ֠לֹהֶ֠יךָ נֹתֵ֨ן לְךָ֤ נַחֲלָה֙ לְרִשְׁתָּ֔הּ תִּמְחֶה֙ אֶת־זֵ֣כֶר עֲמָלֵ֔ק מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם לֹ֖א תִּשְׁכָּֽח Therefore, when HaShem grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that HaShem is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.Continue reading “Shabbat Zakhor: Remember to Forget – what?”
Shabbat Terumah: Just a Bit
וְהַכְּלָל, כִּי אָסוּר לְיָאֵשׁ The rule is: it is forbidden to despair – Likkutei Mohoran II.78.7.1 We are in the month of Adar, the month of which our tradition says משנכנס אדר מרבים שמחה – “when the month of Adar enters, joy increases” (Ta’anit 29a.18) Note here that, despite what we often say, the obligationContinue reading “Shabbat Terumah: Just a Bit”
Shabbat Shekalim 5786: In The Balance
Bronze balance pans and lead weights, Vapheio tholos tomb, Laconia. Late Helladic (LH) II (15th c. BCE) National Museum, Athens הֶֽעָשִׁ֣יר לֹֽא־יַרְבֶּ֗ה וְהַדַּל֙ לֹ֣א יַמְעִ֔יט מִֽמַּחֲצִ֖ית הַשָּׁ֑קֶל לָתֵת֙ אֶת־תְּרוּמַ֣ת ה’ לְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶֽםthe rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than half a shekel when giving an offering to HaShem toContinue reading “Shabbat Shekalim 5786: In The Balance”
Shabbat Yitro: What Does the Voice of G*d sound like?
וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֵ֛ת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר God spoke all these words, saying (Exodus 20.1) What does the voice of G*d sound like? One opinion out of Jewish tradition is that we cannot handle hearing the actual voice of HaShem. Literally, hearing the Voice of G*d is insupportable in human terms: “the Israelites’ souls departed fromContinue reading “Shabbat Yitro: What Does the Voice of G*d sound like?”
Shabbat BeShalakh 5786: What It Takes to Leave Egypt
Evil consists in ruining someone else’s life rather than examining one’s own. – M Scott Peck, People of the Lie As we follow Torah’s narrative of the Israelite escape from Egypt, this week’s parashah relates a tense, utterly human moment. It’s the well-known sense that often sets in immediately after one takes an irrevocable step,Continue reading “Shabbat BeShalakh 5786: What It Takes to Leave Egypt”
Shabbat Bo: No One Should Suffer; No One
שלא היה רוצה הקב”ה שיהיה פרעה בעינוי וצער לפניו the Holy Blessed One did not want Pharaoh to suffer – Gur Aryeh Ex.10.3 Our parashat hashavua brings us to the midst of plagues and confrontations. The suffering of the Egyptian people is increasing, and for whatever reason (conspiracy theories? miracles? scientific cause and effect? theContinue reading “Shabbat Bo: No One Should Suffer; No One”
VaEra 5786: We Will Be What We Will Be
In this week’s parashah HaShem and Moshe meet. HaShem reveals the divine essence in a mysterious phrase: Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, which can be translated in many ways that all can be summarized as Being. Since ancient Hebrew did not express the idea of tense the way we expect in modern language, it’s possible that theContinue reading “VaEra 5786: We Will Be What We Will Be”
Shabbat Shemot: Standing up to Pharaoh
Renee Good: may her memory be a blessing “Tank Man” temporarily stops the advance of four Type 59 tanks on June 5, 1989, in Beijing. This photograph (one of six similar versions) was taken by Jeff Widener of the Associated Press. (Wikipedia) וַיָּ֥קׇם מֶֽלֶךְ־חָדָ֖שׁ עַל־מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע אֶת־יוֹסֵֽף A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. –Continue reading “Shabbat Shemot: Standing up to Pharaoh”
Shabbat VaYehi 5786: Fruitfulness and Forgetting
וַיְבָ֨רְכֵ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַהוּא֮ לֵאמוֹר֒ בְּךָ֗ יְבָרֵ֤ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יְשִֽׂמְךָ֣ אֱלֹהִ֔ים כְּאֶפְרַ֖יִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֶת־אֶפְרַ֖יִם לִפְנֵ֥י מְנַשֶּֽׁה׃ [Jacob] blessed them that day, saying, “By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying: may Elohim make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. (Gen. 48.20) Blessing one’s children has been a regular part of theContinue reading “Shabbat VaYehi 5786: Fruitfulness and Forgetting”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 