Our parasha contains the mitzvah to build the Aron Kodesh: They [the Jewish people] shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a … more

The listing of the travels of the Israelites in the wilderness finishes, in Parshas Masei, with these verses: “They left Almon Divlathaymah and camped in the Avarim mountains in front of Nebo. … more

This past week in Israel, the challenge of running a modern day state against the backdrop of a 3,000 year old tradition again came to the forefront. Tens of thousands of commuters, including … more

Our parish contains a pasuk (verse) that references the mitzvah of brit milah: “And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” (Vayikra 12:3) … more

Our parasha begins with the 16th chapter of Sefer Bamidbar. It tells the story of Korach and his followers, and their rebellion against G-d and His Torah, Moshe, and Aharon. There are countless … more

One of the saddest stories I ever heard was from a holocaust survivor who would say Kaddish on the tenth of Tevet every year, in the shul I grew up in as a boy. He was given the privilege of leading … more

I just celebrated a birthday last week, and while it wasn’t a big one, it’s getting close.  More than ever now,  I find myself a bit forgetful.  Family members and friends … more

The shalosh regalim are the crown jewels of the Jewish year. Pesach commemorates the Exodus, Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah, and Sukkot is the festival that memorializes Hashem’s … more

In the years since the Arab Spring’s eruption, Qatari news network Al Jazeera has successfully positioned itself as an authoritative news source on Muslim world matters. It has thus become … more

In his highly spiritual introduction to this commentary on the weekly Torah parsha, the author, Rabbi Pesach Siegel informs us of the following: “The name of this sefer, ‘Sparks of … more