וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst — Ex 25:8 Four surgeons are discussing who their favourite patients are. The first surgeon says, “I like to see accountants on my operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.” [...]
The Prohibition against mixing milk and meat Ramban writes that it is prohibited to eat meat cooked in milk, since it is an act of moral insensitivity. Rashi points out that, not only are we forbidden to eat milk and meat, but even cooking the mixture is forbidden. This renders the prohibition of milk and meat unique in that even [...]
An architect, an electrician and a lawyer are discussing whose profession came first. “Well, look at the Bible,” says the architect – “hills, valleys and seas were all designed and created at the very beginning of the world.” “Yes,” replied the electrician, “but before that G-d created light!” “You are both wrong,” answered the lawyer. [...]
The Ten Commadments At first glance, the Ten Commandments consist of highly contrasting types of mitzvos. The first commandments, “I am God, your God,” and the prohibition against idol worship address the most spiritual matters related to God’s unity. The other commandments, however, consist of such simple instructions as “You shall not murder,” and “You shall [...]
וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה’ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם Jethro was happy about all the good that G-d had done for Israel, that He had rescued them from the hands of the Egyptians — Ex 18:9 After many years of doubt and disillusion with his heritage, Abe decides to leave the [...]
Finally, Bringing Heaven Down To Earth in eBook format. Rebbe means teacher. Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson is seventh in a prestigious line of chassidic rebbes. Even after his passing, he is known worldwide as simply “The Rebbe”- a Rebbe for any person in the world. This book offers every person a taste of the Rebbe’s [...]
וַתַּעַל שִׁכְבַת הַטָּל וְהִנֵּה עַל פְּנֵי הַמִּדְבָּר דַּק מְחֻסְפָּס דַּק כַּכְּפֹר עַל הָאָרֶץ The layer of dew lifted, and behold, on the surface of the desert, a fine, substance as fine as frost on the ground — Exodus 16:14 If you had to pick one item to symbolize Shabbat, the day of rest, which item would you [...]
The First Mitzvah — Fixing the New month The Torah was given to bring sanctity to the world. Each time a mitzvah is observed this goal is brought one stage closer, as another place and another moment becomes holy. The mitzvah causes holiness to be felt in two dimensions: space and time, but most mitzvos are limited to a specific place [...]
אַךְ בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן תַּשְׁבִּיתוּ שְּׂאֹר מִבָּתֵּיכֶם … but on the preceding day you shall clear away all leaven from your houses — Ex. 12:15 וְהָיָה לְאוֹת עַל יָדְכָה וּלְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ כִּי בְּחֹזֶק יָד הוֹצִיאָנוּ ה’ מִמִּצְרָיִם And it shall be for a sign upon your hand and for ornaments between your eyes, for with a [...]
“They will not believe in me and they will not listen to my voice.” (4:1) If Moshe knew that the Jewish people had a tradition from their Patriarchs that a redeemer would arrive (as Maharsha writes) then why did he fear that “they will not believe in me”? However, Moshe’s fear was that after so many years of slavery [...]
וַיְמָרְרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים וּבְכָל עֲבֹדָה בַּשָּׂדֶה And they embittered their lives with hard labor, with clay and with bricks and with all kinds of labor in the fields — Exodus 1:14 Moses, Museums and Menorahs. I must make a confession. As we read the Torah portion every week, year after year, it [...]
The names of Yosef’s two sons. Menasheh received his name because, “God has caused me to forget (NaSHaNi) all my hardships and all that was in my father’s house”(41:51). This expressed how Yosef was pained by the fact that he found himself in a place which made him forget his father’s house. Efrayim was named, because “God has [...]
One fine summer day Family Goldstein visit the zoo and are taken to the wolves’ enclosure. There they witness an incredible sight; the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy – a wolf and a lamb side by side in the enclosure together! Mr Goldstein calls over one of the staff: “How long have you had a wolf [...]
Yosef does not seek revenge against his brothers. We can learn from the example of Yosef towards his brothers that one should never seek revenge against a person who causes him any form of distress or damage. Rather, one should repay even a guilty offender with kindness (Tanya ch. 12). Why should we be kind to guilty offenders? [...]
Yosef interprets the dreams of the chief butler and chief baker. The natural reaction for Yosef, after being wrongly imprisoned, would be utter contempt for Egypt and its government. Thus, when Yosef was joined by the chief butler and chief baker—two of Pharaoh’s high-ranking ministers—it would only have been natural for Yosef to shun them [...]
