The second Beit Hamikdash was destroyed over 1,900 years ago. Thereafter, with prophetic insight, Chazal established the blessing of Boneh Yerushalayim  (Rebuild Jerusalem) in the Shemoneh … more

The laws regarding the korbanot are one of the major themes of sefer Vayikra. The Rambam discusses their underlying reasoning in two well-known passages found in his philosophic magnum opus, The … more

Parashat Acharei Mot, known as the parasha of Yom Kippur, focuses upon the manner of observing this Yom Tov in the Mishkan and Beit HaMikdash. One of the many constitutive elements of a Beit … more

Ezra the Scribe (5th century BCE) was one of the great leaders of the Jewish people. One of his most significant achievements was the establishment of the exact format in which a sefer Torah must … more

One of the best-known verses in our parsha, Terumah, is this: “And they shall make Me a sanctuary (v’asu li mikdash) and I will dwell amongst them (v’shachanti … more

Midrash Tanchuma, Parashat Yitro 10, teaches us that Torah study is comprised of three essential categories: Talmud (logical analysis), Halacha (Jewish law) and Aggadot (non-halachic expository … more

One of the highlights of this week’s parasha, Chayeh Sarah, is Abraham’s considered effort to find a proper wife for his beloved son, Isaac, from among the daughters of his birthplace. … more

Our parasha, Terumah, contains the commandment to construct a holy place for the Master of the Universe, in this instance, the Mishkan (portable desert sanctuary): “And they shall make Me a … more

The penultimate verses of Parashat Bereishit present us with dire foreboding: And the L-rd saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all … more

The prohibition of imbibing blood is one of the well-known mitzvot found in our parasha (Vayikra 17:10-11). In it we find the unusual expression, v’natati panai, which is explained by both … more