The institution of the Haftarah, reading a passage from the prophetic literature alongside the Torah portion, is an ancient one, dating back at least 2000 years. Scholars are not sure when, …
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By Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks
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4/1/20
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The Haftorah to parsha Yzav on this Shabbat Hagadol, contains two well-known pasukim that conclude both Sefer Malachi and the Nevi’im section of Tanach. Malachi prophesizes the eventual …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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4/1/20
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Sacrifices, the subject of this week’s parsha Vayikra, were central to the religious life of biblical Israel. What is deeply relevant today is the critique of sacrifices we find among the …
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By Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks
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3/25/20
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I was wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me.” These are rare words indeed, but I heard them pronounced clearly by a woman I once worked for, and whom I still admire.
She was the …
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By Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
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3/25/20
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Different Jewish ethnicities have varying traditions regarding the proper way a Torah scroll should be written. Yet, vayikra — the first word of our parasha and the namesake of sefer …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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3/25/20
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Melanie Reid, a journalist with The Times of London, is a quadriplegic who, with a wry lack of self-pity, calls her weekly essay Spinal Column. On Jan. 4, she told how she, her husband, and others in …
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By Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks
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3/18/20
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The final five parshiot of Sefer Shemot describe every conceivable aspect of the construction of the Mishkan, including its kalim (vessels and utensils) and the bigdei kohanim (the garments worn by …
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By Rabbi David Etengoff
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3/18/20
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Corona. Isolation. Quarantine. Closed schools and synagogues. Flights cancelled and travel limited. No large public gatherings. What is going on?
In 1988, during the first Intifada, one of our …
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By Rabbi Binny Freedman
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3/18/20
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In the frenzy of last weekend, with many shuls shutting their doors, many of us were faced with the prospect of experiencing Shabbos in a way we had not before. Going to shul was off the table, so …
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By Rabbi Avi Billet
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3/18/20
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What is life all about? One answer is that life is all about beginnings and endings. Birth and death, marriage and divorce, Hopeful anticipation and inglorious defeat.
Most commonly, …
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By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
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3/18/20
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