Devarim Shabbat Chazon 5772

by | Jul 27, 2012

BS”D Parashat Devarim Shabbat Chazon 5772 Part A: Many of the lamentable chapters we read on Tish’a B’Av were composed by Yehudah HaLevi (1080-1141), one of our greatest poets, who lived in Spain when it was under Islamic rule. He was a talmid chacham, a...

Pinchas & Matot-Masei 5772

by | Jul 20, 2012

BS”D Pinchas and Matot-Masei 5772 Three major incidents in parashat Pinchas were enacted by individuals who were nonconformist by acting against the national consensus. Pinchas acted quickly and zealously, while the nation’s leaders, Moshe and the Sanhedrin,...

Balak and Pinchas 5772

by | Jul 13, 2012

BS”D Balak and Pinchas 5772 Balak: In the week of parashat Balak, the world’s scientific communities were in ecstasy. After spending billions of dollars and thousands of great minds who participated in the project, they finally proved empirically the existence...

Balak 5772

by | Jul 8, 2012

The 17th of Tammuz, is the day when we solemnize five disastrous events in our history, as we also do for the calamitous 9th of Av, in three weeks hence. Both are fast days, with the 9th of Av following closely behind Yom Kippur in its halachic severity. However, this...

Balak 5768

by | Jul 6, 2012

Parashat Balak 5768 We know that Hashem created yesh mei’ayn (something from nothing), but what was that “something?” The Torah opens with the spirit of Elokim merachefet al penei hamayim — hovering over the waters. Are we to conclude from this that...

Chukat 5772

by | Jun 28, 2012

BS”D Parashat Chukat 5772 The midrash states (Midrash Raba, Bamidbar 19:1): Job 14,4: ‘Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No human being can’ (only HaShem). Avraham (the righteous who was born from) Terech, King Chizkiyahu born from Achaz, King...