Our parshiot, Tazria and Metzora, focus on the halachot of tumah and taharah (the Laws of ritual purity and impurity), some of the most complex subjects in the Torah. An entire section of the Mishnah … more

One of the most celebrated mitzvot of our parasha is “v’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha” — “and you shall love your fellow like yourself” (Vayikra 19:18). … more

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Shifra bat Chaim Alter, and Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam and Moshe Reuven ben Chaya. more

Our parasha, Re’eh, contains the obligation to physically destroy all objects used for idol worship: “You shall tear down their altars, smash their monuments, burn their idolatrous … more

The concluding section of our parasha, Re’eh, focuses on the moadim that we encounter throughout the year. Herein, we are met with two pasukim, the first in reference to Shavuot and the … more

One of the fascinating themes in Parashat Vayishlach is Ya’akov’s wrestling with an anonymous man, as the Torah states: “Vayivater Ya’akov levado (and Ya’akov was … more

One of the many beautiful tefilot that we recite on Shabbat and Yom Tov is Nishmat Kol Chai.  I find the following passage to be particularly striking in its spiritual depth and … more

One of the many famous topics in our parasha is the destruction of the thoroughly wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. As the entire Land of Israel would one day belong to Avraham’s … more

The namesake of our parasha is Korach. It is not surprising, therefore, that most meforshim focus the majority of their exegetical efforts on this rabble rouser and his sycophants, Datan, Aviram … more

If someone were to ask you to list the Hebrew names of the Five Books of the Torah, you would readily respond with Bereishit, Shemot, Bamidbar, Vayikra and Devarim. These, however, are by no … more