As we dress in costumes for this weekend’s celebration, it should be noted that one of the stories in the Megillah of Esther is very much about clothing. Mordechai, a hero of the story, had … more

A few weeks ago I joined about 35 students from Yeshivat Orayta for a week in Poland. We had a remarkable guide named Rav Yitzchak Rubenstein who shared the following story with us: The Nazis … more

One of the many well-known pasukim found in our parasha, Ki Tisa, refers to the totally Divine nature of the first set of Luchot HaBrit: “Now the tablets were G-d’s work, and the … more

Sometimes inspiration comes in the simplest of moments, like a good cup of coffee. In the fall of 2000, my unit was called up on special emergency orders (known as a Tzav Shmoneh). I still recall the … 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

As we undertake the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), we find many instructions that have been made more understandable to us through the numerous books of illustrations and charts the describe … more

When new prisoners arrived in Auschwitz, if they survived the infamous selections on the train platforms, within an hour they were robbed, stripped, shaved and deloused. … more

Naaseh v’nishmah” (we will do and we will hear / understand) are arguably two of the most famous words that appear in this week’s parasha, Mishpatim. When the Jewish people uttered … more

Less than two chapters after telling us “Thou shalt not commit murder,” the Torah in this week’s parsha of Mishpatim gives us an example of where it is perfectly … more

Though this week’s parsha begins with a story of Yisro, its chronological relationship with the rest of the Exodus narrative is debated by the commentaries. If we ignore this story for a … more