Parashat Bechukotai presents shalom as one of the greatest rewards that we will receive when we live lives dedicated to Hashem’s holy Torah:
“And I will grant peace in the Land, and …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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6/1/16
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Sefer Vayikra is the sole book in the Tanach in which the phrase “v’yarata m’elokecha” (“and you shall fear your G-d”) is found. It appears three times in Parashat …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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5/25/16
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One of the most unusual textual juxtapositions in parasha Emor occurs at the onset of the Torah’s discussion of the mo’adim (festivals) (Vayikra, chapter 23): “And the L-rd spoke to …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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5/18/16
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Rabbi Chiya, in Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 24:5, teaches us that our parasha was taught to the entire nation (b’hakhal) “since the majority of the Torah’s fundamental principles may be …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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5/10/16
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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 …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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5/4/16
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The Haggadah is a multi-layered historical document that is the product of numerous Jewish cultures, in both Israel and the Diaspora. As a result, it may legitimately be viewed as one of the …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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4/21/16
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Like many other meforshim (Torah commentators), the second Bobover Rebbe, HaRav Ben-Zion Halberstam zatzal, analyzed the term Shabbat Hagadol. He began his quest for understanding with …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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4/13/16
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Rosh Chodesh is the topic of this week’s additional Torah reading: “The L-rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: ‘This month shall be to you the head of the …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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4/6/16
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The final chapter of Parashat Shemini contains more than 20 pasukim that discuss various aspects of the laws of kashrut. Therein, the Torah gives us general guidelines for determining the status of …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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3/30/16
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The final verse in parasha Tzav, “And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the L-rd commanded through Moses,” contains the unusual phrase, “that the L-rd commanded through …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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3/23/16
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