Every year, we arrive at Parshas Naso, and we are reminded of the very unusual nature of one element of this parsha. As we know, this parsha takes us through the Chanukas HaMizbeach, the inauguration of the Mishkan, and that process was done through a series of Korbanos that were brought by the Nesiim, the […]
Category: Weekly Drasha
Toldos 5786 – A Life of Struggle
After Esav realizes that he has been bested by his little brother, that Yaakov has stolen his bracha, he turns to his father, desperately requesting his own: וַיֹּאמֶר עֵשָׂו אֶל־אָבִיו הַבְרָכָה אַחַת הִוא־לְךָ אָבִי בָּרְכֵנִי גַם־אָנִי אָבִי וַיִּשָּׂא עֵשָׂו קֹלוֹ וַיֵּבְךְּ: And Esav said to his father — “Do you only have one bracha, my […]
Chayei Sarah 5786 – All Our Days
As the Torah prepares to tell us the story of how Avraham will command his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for Yitzchak, it introduces it with the following phrase: וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים וַיְקֹוָק בֵּרַךְ אֶת אַבְרָהָם בַּכֹּל: (פרק כד פסוק א) Let’s try to translate this phrase: Avraham was old, and he had […]
Breishis 5786 – ME OD – Going Beyond Our Perceived Limits
Today, we start again. After a remarkable year and the Yamim Noraim, Sukkos, Shemini Atzeres all behind us, we are right away invited to begin the Torah anew. And as we take a look at the real beginning, Creation, we find an interesting difference between the first 5 days of creation, and Day #6. After […]
Shemini Atzeres 5786 – A War That Changed Us Forever
I know we are all feeling so many mixed emotions right now. Yesterday, we watched videos of families reuniting with their loved ones. The screams of joy, of Shema Yisrael. We have met some of these families, we have davened for them for years, and then to see them hugging each other, brought us tears […]
Rosh Hashana 5786 – Day 2 – The Best Version of Me
Reb Zusha of Anipol, the student of the Baal Shem Tov used to tell his students: When I come to Heaven and they ask me “Why weren’t you like Avraham Avinu?” I will answer: “because I wasn’t Avraham.” If they inquire: “Why didn’t you match the greatness of Moshe Rabbeinu?” I can answer that I […]
Rosh Hashana 5786 – Day 1 – Its Not Too Late
In the late 1700s, a wedding took place near Mezebush, a town in Ukraine, and the Mesader Kiddushin was none other than the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidus. The Baal Shem Tov arrives at the wedding and is standing under the chuppah, ready to begin. All of a sudden a wagon that was […]
Ki Savo 5785 – Confessing Our Goodness
One of the hallmarks of agricultural society in Israel is the concept of Terumos and Maasros, that a farmer — or any person who purchases produce in Eretz Yisrael — is required to separate percentages of produce to give to the Kohein, the Levi, the poor, and even sometimes take it to Yerushalayim to consume […]
Shoftim 5785 – A Fearless Leader
IIt is a concept that Jewish children learn when they are young, and that we even learn to sing in the tefillah of Yigdal: לא קם בישראל כמשה עוד נביא ומביט את תבונתו There never arose among the Jewish People a prophet and seer of Hashem’s likeness like Moshe. This is a paraphrase of the […]
Re eh 5785 – How We Give
This week, we are introduced to a beautiful section of the Torah that describes the responsibility we all have to take care of each other financially, the mitzvos of Tzedaka and Lending money. And in the context of this discussion, the Torah has a number of times when it uses double-language to emphasize the importance […]