Parsha Ki Tesa Issue of March 5, 2010/ 20 Adar, 5770 by Rabbi Avi Billet After describing the appointment of Betzalel and Oholiab to be the prime architects of the Mishkan, the Torah … more

When it comes to discussions about the Parah Adumah (red heifer), many look to its symbolism or try to find a message in the concept of a “chok,” typically defined as a “mitzvah without a reason.” Some focus on the unique quality of how the Parah Adumah mixture was metaher temeim and metameh tehorim (purified those who were impure, and made the pure (the one doing the sprinkling) impure). more

On Monday I followed a custom I’ve undertaken to listen to a speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the day America has dedicated to him based loosely on his birthday, and in listening to his … more

The Torah never addresses when a newborn is to be named. Just about every Biblical figure introduced at birth is named right away. This would not come as much of a shock in a pre-Avraham and pre-bris era. But the fact that Yitzchak, Yaakov, Eisav, and all of Yaakov’s sons (perhaps with the exception of Binyamin’s second name) are named the moment they are born (or so it seems) stands to leave open the idea that in Biblical times, boys were named before the bris. more

Of all the Biblical heroes, those we might call the “good guys,” Noach gets the worst rap. When we are first introduced to him, we are told he was a tzaddik (righteous man) “in his generation.” Rashi famously pounces on the added term, suggesting that he was a good guy in his generation alone, but had he lived in the generation of Avraham, he would not have been a person of significance. more

I  am currently teaching a weekly parsha class using the commentary of Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenberg, Ha’ktav V’hakabbalah. As it doesn’t appear in a class Chumash, it is less … more

The act of a kiss appears twice in our parsha, Vayechi. The first time is when Yosef presents his sons to Yaakov for a blessing. The second time is immediately after Yaakov dies, when Yosef … more

Whenever I participate in a raffle, with great anticipation I wait for the drawing, which will declare me, as usual, a loser. And my losing ticket? Ends up in the garbage, of course. The mature … more

The first Tisha B’Av memory is the incident of the spies, which set in stone the concept of a “b’khiya l’dorot” – a date on which all future generations will have reason to cry. (Taanit 29a) more

Lot looked up and saw that the entire Jordan Plain, all the way to Tzoar, had plenty of water. It was like G-d’s own garden, like the land of Egypt. Lot chose for himself the entire Jordan … more