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Parshat Eikev – Kochi V’Otzem Yadi There’s an old joke about a man running late for a meeting, frantically circling the block looking for a parking spot. Desperate, he finally calls out, “Hashem, if You get me a parking spot, I’ll start doing more mitzvot—keep Shabbos, put on tefillin, have more kavana, be a better…
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The Torah describes Eretz Yisrael as: אֶ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ דֹּרֵ֣שׁ אֹתָ֑הּ תָּמִ֗יד עֵינֵ֨י ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ֙ בָּ֔הּ מֵֽרֵשִׁית֙ הַשָּׁנָ֔ה וְעַ֖ד אַחֲרִ֥ית שָׁנָֽה׃“A land that Hashem your G-d seeks out; His eyes are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” Look closely. The beginning is called “HaShana” (the year,…
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A man struggling to make ends meet wants to one day buy his wife a gift. He doesn’t have much, but every night, he empties whatever spare change he has into a jar—nickels, dimes, maybe the occasional dollar. “One day,” he tells himself, “this’ll turn into something special.” Years go by. The jar gets full.…
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“Let me go over and see the good land…” Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest leader in our history, pleads with Hashem to enter Eretz Yisrael.He doesn’t ask for comfort, reward, or recognition.All he wants is to step foot in the land Hashem promised. Chazal ask: Why did Moshe want to enter Eretz Yisrael so badly? Was…
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We’ve wandered long enough. In this week’s parsha, Moshe begins his final address to Bnei Yisrael.But he’s not speaking to the generation that left Egypt. He’s speaking to their children—the ones who struggled in the desert, grew through challenges, and matured over forty long years. Now, they stand at the threshold of Eretz Yisrael.They’re finally…
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Struggling to Feel Growing up, I always had a hard time connecting to the Three Weeks, the Nine Days, and especially Tisha B’Av. The mourning. The restrictions. The heaviness. I tried to feel something — but couldn’t. Part of it was that I didn’t fully understand what we were mourning. I mean, I grew up…
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What would you do if you knew that fulfilling a mitzvah meant you were one step closer to the end of your life? Most people might stall. Look for a way to delay. Try to hold on just a little longer. But not Moshe Rabbeinu. At the beginning of Parshat Matot, Hashem commands Moshe: “Nekom…
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Parshat Matot opens with a curious halacha: vows. If a Jew says something like “I won’t eat bread today,” it becomes halachically binding. Words alone create new spiritual realities. No action, no ritual—just speech. That’s the power Hashem gave us. It mirrors the opening of the Torah itself: “Vayomer Elokim—Yehi or.” Hashem spoke—and light came…
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Chazal in a Midrash debate about what the most fundamental pasuk in the Torah. The answer is surprising: “אֶת־הַכֶּבֶשׂ אֶחָד תַּעֲשֶׂה בַבֹּקֶר וְאֵת הַכֶּבֶשׂ הַשֵּׁנִי תַּעֲשֶׂה בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם”“One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and one in the afternoon.” The command to bring the daily Korban Tamid, morning and afternoon. Found in this week’s…
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This week, the Torah doesn’t just tell us that Pinchas killed Zimri and Kozbi — it highlights who they were: Zimri, a prince of Shevet Shimon. Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader. These weren’t random sinners. They were powerful, connected, and dangerous to confront. Yet Pinchas didn’t flinch. He acted alone, with pure zeal…
