Ark of the Covenant – Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone

Shabbat Parah: It’s The Same Gold

רבי יוסי בן חנינה אומר ועשית כפרת זהב טהור, יבא זהב כפורת ויכפר על זהב עגל R. Yossi ben Hanina says: “Then you shall make a kappōret of pure gold …” (Exod. 25:17)—Let the gold of the kappōret atone [yekhaper] for the gold of the calf. This Shabbat is Shabbat Parah, Shabbat of the [red] Heifer, so called becauseContinue reading “Shabbat Parah: It’s The Same Gold”

Shabbat Tetzaveh: The Gold and the Wood

This week’s parashah, called Tetzaveh, describes the blueprint for the sacred space that the Israelites are commanded to create so that the Presence of G-d might be immanent in their midst. For the ancient Israelites, there is much excitement in defining and beautifying every little detail of this special place. And hiddur mitzvah, the urgeContinue reading “Shabbat Tetzaveh: The Gold and the Wood”