Rav Michael Sunshine - Rosh Beit Midrash ShavuotAs the year is winding down, Jews around the world have been counting up, starting with the second night of Pesach when we counted, "Today is the first day of the Omer." We have been adding one day...
Rav Yonaton Hirschhorn - Mashkiach Ruchani The Book of BamidbarThe Book of Bamidbar is an important part of the Torah, but its meaning may not be immediately clear. We can explore it by comparing it to other books in the Torah.Bereshit focuses on the heritage of the...
Lauren Friedman - Eim Bayit Parshat Behar-Bechukotai The opening verse of this week's Parsha states, "This is what G-d said to Moses at Sinai," which introduces the mitzvah of shmittah. This requires farmers to leave their land unworked every seventh year. But why is the focus on this...
Ellie Ausubel - Educator Parshat Emor Counting UpIn this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Emor, we read about the mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer, counting seven weeks from Pesach and culminating with the holiday of Shavuot. Although not explicitly written in the pesukim, most children in school will tell you that...
Tali Karp - Educator Parshat Achrei Mot-Kedoshim ויקרא י״ט:א׳-ב׳ (א) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר (ב) דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־כָּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶֽם׃ Leviticus 19:1-2 (1) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the LORD...
Lani Margolis - Educator Parshat Tazria-Metzora The Real You "If a person will have upon his skin of his flesh… a tzara’at affliction… he shall be brought to Aaron the Kohen (priest) or one of his sons the Kohanim” (Vayikra/Leviticus 13:2) אדם כי יהיה בעור בשרו שאת או ספחת...
Rav Yehoshua Felberg - Educator Parshat Tetzaveh/Zachor 17. You shall remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt, יזזָכ֕וֹר אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה לְךָ֖ עֲמָלֵ֑ק בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ בְּצֵֽאתְכֶ֥ם מִמִּצְרָֽיִם: 18how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your...
Esther Farkovits - Educator Parshat Terumah We are told to make a dwelling place for HaShem, king of the universe, here on earth. We would expect something grand. Instead, it’s a small tent like structure in the desert known as the Mishkan. There is a deep lesson...
Rav Avram Block - Educator Parshat Mishpatim/Shekalim Parshat Mishpatim, which follows almost immediately after the revelation of the Aseret HaDibrot at Har Sinai, deals initially with mitzvot that we would usually characterize as civil law – issues dealing with slavery, theft, personal injury, damages etc. Rashi asserts that the connection to the...
Ellie Ausubel - Educator Parshat Yitro Kabbalat HaTorah Then and Now In this week's parsha, Parshat Yitro, we reach the climax of the Exodus; the very purpose for which we were extracted from Egypt – to receive the Torah. What does our tradition tells us about Kabbalat haTorah and how can that...