The Levites are consecrated, once and for all, in the opening passages of our parsha. Mazal tov! Hold your horses. Did you read what they have to go through to experience this monumental achievement? more

During the Holocaust, the Klausenberger Rebbe, Rabi Yekutiel Halberstam, passed through the gates of hell many times. In the Warsaw Ghetto, the work camps and death marches and the final unspeakable horror, Auschwitz, the Rebbe lost his wife and their 11 children in less than a year, yet never sat shiva, refusing to take the time to mourn for his own children, while so many thousands were being lost daily. more

R eb Moshe Chaim Tiefenbrun was one of the personalities I grew up with, and one of the two people who first introduced me to nusach, the beautiful melodies of our liturgy and prayer. He was a … more

The phrase, “And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d,” appears twice in the Torah — the first instance is in our parsha, Vaetchanan (6:5), and the second is found in Eikev (11:1). … more

This time, it was not I who was a few moments late, but rather Richard, who sheepishly mumbled an excuse as he entered the classroom. You will remember that Richard was … more

It is one of the most important words in Judaism, and also one of the least understood. Its two most famous occurrences are in last week’s parsha and this week’s: “Hear O … more

The Torah is comprised primarily of laws and narrative. Let us take a quick scan of Parshat Terumah to see where it fits in the scheme of the rest of the Torah. According to the Sefer HaChinukh, … more

The festival of Succot contains two major mitzvot, dwelling in the Succah on the night of the 15th of Tishrei, and the taking of the Arba’at ha-Minim (the Four Species). Both of these acts are … more

In the final parsha of the book of Leviticus, in the midst of one of the most searing curses ever uttered to a nation by way of warning, the … more

In these weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, there is a widely practiced custom to study Pirkei Avot (the Chapters or Ethics of the Fathers). Some even extend this practice until Rosh Hashana; instead … more