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Kenneth CohenThe Times of Israel (Blogs) |
King David in his Book of Psalms, describes Jerusalem as עיר שחברה לה יחדיו, “a city that is united together.” It is the only city...
Yom Yerushalayim is the newest holiday in the Jewish calendar. We celebrate the great victory of the Six Day War, when the entire city was back in...
Twice a year, the Torah gives us the תוכחה, or rebuke. The first comes before Shavuot, and the second one before Rosh Hashanah. It is a very...
The Alshich makes an interesting comment about wealth and poverty. He wrote that it is a much greater challenge to be wealthy rather than to be poor....
It is interesting to note that both in Parshat Behar and in Parshat Bechkotai, we have the verse, וישבתם לבטח בארצכם, “And you shall...
It is fitting that the laws that follow the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, deal with the subject of אונאה. In spoken Hebrew, this is the word used...
The Torah teaches us about the laws of the “Yovel,” the jubilee year that takes place every fifty years. The verse related to Yovel, appears on...
The Mitzva of “Shmitta,” the Sabbatical year, was chosen as the example of a law given on Mount Sinai. These laws are similar to those of Shabbat,...
The Chazon Ish pointed out a very serious problem connected with the attitude towards money matters. He wrote that when someone is embroiled in a...
There is a concept in Halacha that says, בית דין של מטה גוזר, בית דין של מעלה מקיים, “When the earthly court...
The laws related to the holidays begin with the laws of Shabbat. The difference between Shabbat and the festivals, is that the latter are determined...
One of the more difficult Mitzvot to observe is the commandment not to desecrate the Name of G-d. What goes hand in hand with this Mitzva, is that we...
Among the laws related to the Kohanim, there is one law that is learned from the word, וקדשתו, “And you must sanctify him.” Generally, this...
The Alshich on numerous occasions, points out that it was never G-d’s intention that there should be death in the world. It was all connected to the...
The Talmud in Masechet Brachot makes an interesting observation. Since the time of the destruction of the Temple, 1,958 years ago, the Holy One...
There is a well known verse in the Torah that contains three ideas. We are to fear our mother and father, we are to keep Shabbat, and remember Hashem....
The Alshich commented on the general requirement to observe all of the commandments of the Torah. It is clear that one can truly live by these laws in...
The Torah gives very clear instructions as to how we are to treat the convert. It is speaking of the stranger who accepts upon himself to observe the...
Parshat Acharei Mot gives all of the details related to the Yom Kippur. Clearly, this day was a convergence of the holiest day of the year, in the...
The theme of Yom Ha’atzmaut, is giving thanks to Hashem for returning us to Eretz Yisrael, and establishing the State of Israel. It was established...
The philosophy of Rav Kook is summarized by the following quote, that describes the Tzaddikim of this world: “The purely righteous do not complain...
The source for the laws of Family Purity come from a description of a state of female impurity, known as זבה, “Zava.” The word itself means...
The Alshich comments that we should be grateful for the make up of the human body. Death is reflected by the soul leaving the body. But while the soul...
Usually, the Parshiot of Tazria and Metzora, are read together. Although Tazria begins with the subject of a woman giving birth, the main subject is...
The Torah speaks of the difference for a woman giving birth to a male, rather than a female. The amount of impurity connected with a female, is double...
This year, the period we are in that commemorates Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Day, Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day for our fallen soldiers, and Yom...
Many years ago, a Noachide couple were invited to speak to a group of students at Machon Meir. The couple were raised Christian, but abandoned their...
Rav Dovid Grossman of Migdal Haemek, told a fascinating story of how he was instrumental in helping a stewardess become an observant Jew. The...
Immediately after Aharon is given the news about the death of his two beloved sons, he is expected to carry on his duties as the newly inaugurated...
In Parshat Shemini, we read of the sin of Nadav and Avihu on the day of the dedication of the Mishkan. The day that should have been so joyous, was...
The Jewish people left Egypt on the fifteenth of Nissan, corresponding to the first day of Pesach. This took place 2448 years of creation. Since we...
The theme of Pesach is the prohibition of eating Chametz. Specifically, this refers to the dough rising and turning into leaven. Matza is referred to...
This year Pesach is unique as we are in the middle of a war. It is also special in that the original exodus from Egypt took place on a Thursday, and...
This Shabbat, the Songs of Songs, “Shir Hashirim,” is read in Ashkenazi synagogues. The book hints to the time of ultimate redemption, which is...
The commandment to eat from the Pesach sacrifice is one of two positive commandments that carry the prohibition of “Karet” for its...
The “Four Questions” or “Mah Nishtana” had its origin in the Mishna in Masechet Psachim. It is not really limited to children, as the...
The Passover Seder contains many Halachic details that are meant to be followed strictly. The word “Seder” means “order.” I remember a...
The Passover Hagaddah has a section where the question is asked regarding why the Seder is held at night. It is derived from the extra word “כל”...
This year, Shabbat Hagadol has special significance. It falls on the Tenth of Nissan, just as it did in Egypt. Pesach falls on the fifteenth, which is...
The Beit Hamikdash had a learned individual serve on a regular basis, to make sure that all of the details of Temple service were fulfilled according...
The holiday of Pesach is very much connected to the concept of “Chumra” or stringency. The reason why this is more prevalent on Pesach is because...
There are actually four instances in Jewish Law that may be referred to as subterfuge, or finding a loophole in the law. In Hebrew, this is referred...
The Chazon Ish gives a very clear definition in making the distinction between Emuna and Bitachon. We loosely translate these words to mean,...
There are two categories of Korbanot in the Temple. Those that fall under the name, קדשים קלים, may be eaten in Jerusalem by the one offering...
The Torah recognizes that it is a reality that human beings have weaknesses that lead them to sin. Some refer to it as being possessed by a “spirit...
Pirkei Avot teaches us that דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה, that a prerequisite to the study of Torah, is that one must have good character. He...
The Chazon Ish connected the need for man to perfect his character traits in order to refine his perception of the world. The goal is to be guided by...
During the time of the Temple, this was an exciting time of year. There was great anticipation as the winter was coming to an end, with Pesach on the...
The very long Parshiot of Vayakhel and Pekudei, seem to be a kind of taking inventory in connection with how contributions were allocated. A very...
There is some questioning as to the reason why the Melacha of kindling a fire, was written separately from the other thirty-eight constructive acts...
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