“if I were a rich man…” הַמַּבְדִיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחוֹל. חַטֹּאתֵינוּ הוּא יִמְחוֹל. זַרְעֵנוּ וְכַסְפֵּנוּ יַרְבֶּה כַּחוֹל. וְכַכּוֹכָבִים בַּלָּיְלָה May HaShem who separates between the holy and the mundane forgive our sins and increase our offspring and our money like sand and like stars at night – from the Havdalah prayer This is the oldestContinue reading “Shabbat Naso 5786”
Tag Archives: Israel
Shabbat BaMidbar: Standing Together
כל ישראל ערבין זה בזה kol yisrael arevin zeh bazeh All Israel are guarantors, each for each other שאו את ראש כל עדת בני ישראל. אין עלויין של ישראל אלא בקיום התורה, ועל כן אחז הכתוב לשון שאו שהוא לשון כולל “take a census of the entire assembly of the Jewish people, etc.” TheContinue reading “Shabbat BaMidbar: Standing Together”
Shabbat Emor: from suffering to hope
בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בְּאַרְבָּעָ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר י֛וֹם בֵּ֥ין הָעַרְבַּ֖יִם יַעֲשׂ֣וּ אֹת֑וֹ עַל־מַצּ֥וֹת וּמְרֹרִ֖ים יֹאכְלֻֽהוּ׃ לֹֽא־יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּ מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ עַד־בֹּ֔קֶר וְעֶ֖צֶם לֹ֣א יִשְׁבְּרוּ־ב֑וֹ כְּכׇל־חֻקַּ֥ת הַפֶּ֖סַח יַעֲשׂ֥וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃ They shall offer [Pesakh Sheni] in the second month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and they shall not leaveContinue reading “Shabbat Emor: from suffering to hope”
Shabbat Akharei Mot/Kedoshim 5786
Shabbat Akharei Mot Kedoshim 5786:Be Holy (Like a Pharisee) (Pharisees), [literally: “those who are separated” from self-indulgence, as will be explained, or “those who practice self-restraint”]. – R Moshe ben Nakhman This Shabbat is the first after the 78th observance of the establishment of the modern state of Israel. Balancing a fine line between my own feelingsContinue reading “Shabbat Akharei Mot/Kedoshim 5786”
Shabbat Parah 5786: That Golden Calf, Again
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”
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”
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”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 