And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the LORD am your GOD. Vayikra / Leviticus 23:22 Through the centuries many commentators to Continue Reading »
Do not deal basely with your countrymen. Do not profit by the blood of your fellow: I am the Lord. Continue Reading »
They brought to the front of the Tent of Meeting the things that Moses had commanded, and the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord. Vayikra/Leviticus 9:5 Rabbi Avraham ben Mordecai Azulai (1) begins his comment by first citing Rabbi Isaac Luria who wrote, “Every person is obligated to take upon themselves the positive Continue Reading »
This is my God and whom I will enshrine; The God of my father, whom I will exalt. Continue Reading »
On the eve of Passover, adjacent to minḥa time, a person may not eat until dark, so that he will be able to eat matza that night with a hearty appetite. Even the poorest of Jews should not eat the meal on Passover night until he reclines on his left side, as free and wealthy people recline when they eat. And the distributors of tzedakah should not give a poor person less than four cups Continue Reading »
And he spread the tent (ohel) over the tabernacle (mishkan), and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as God commanded Moses. Exodus 40:19 God’s blueprint for a traveling sacred space to accompany the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness has now been completed. As the Israelites travelled, they would carry a place for Continue Reading »
The opening word of this week’s parasha, Vayakel (And he gathered), is from the Hebrew root which also gives us the words kahal and kehilla, congregation and community. The Torah tells us that the entire people of Israel gather together as they embark on the task of building the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Rabbi Avraham of Continue Reading »
“And God passed before him and called out … ” Exodus 34:6 Rabbi Yochanan stated, “Were it not for the fact that Scripture said it, it would be impossible for us to assert it. The Holy One wraps Himself in a tallit as prayer leader to show Moses the proper order of prayer for Continue Reading »
Zachor/Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt — how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. Therefore, when the Lord your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, Continue Reading »
He who kidnaps a man – whether he has sold him or is still holding him – shall be put to death. Sh’mot/Exodus 21:16 A kidnapper is liable for capital punishment if he kidnaps a Jewish person, brings him into the kidnapper’s own domain, makes use of him, and then sells him to others, as Continue Reading »
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