I believe a potentially life-changing message emerges from Rav Eliyahu Mizrahi’s profound analysis of Rashi’s comment, namely, the nearly unlimited power of tefilah. Moses’ … more

Of Moshe than we have encountered before. Instead of the brave advocate of the Jewish people and undaunted servant of Hashem, we are met with a morose and despondent Moshe on the cusp of complete … more

Our parasha, Naso, is the source of Birkat Kohanim, one of the most stirring acts in our prayer experience. Nearly anyone who has witnessed this tefilah senses its drama and … 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

The concluding verse of parashaBechukotai, and of seferVayikra, contains a phrase that is crucial for a holistic understanding of the Torah: “These are the commandments (aleh … more

We should not be surprised by the similarities between Judaism and the surrounding cultures, one of my professors, Rabbi Menachem M. Brayer, PhD zatzal, once noted. After all, they were in the same … more

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

Parashat Kedoshim’s verse, “And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, “You shall be holy (kedoshim), … more

The narrative of the Four Sons is one of the highlights of the Maggid (Telling) section of the Haggadah. Contemporary versions of this work formulate the first two questions in this … more

This is Shabbat Hagadol, the Great Shabbat, an appellation that urges us to focus on the meaning of geulah (redemption), since it is juxtaposed to Pesach, the preeminent Festival of … more