Category: Parsha
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This past week was Pesach Sheni, the “second Passover,” and it offers us a powerful window into something much deeper than makeup offerings and second chances. We learn about Pesach Sheni through the story of a group of men who were tamei (ritually impure) and couldn’t bring the Korban Pesach at the proper time. They…
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Living the Purpose of Our Redemption In Parshat Emor, we read a powerful command: “You shall not desecrate My holy name, and I shall be sanctified among the Children of Israel.” (Vayikra 22:32)Immediately after, the Torah reminds us: “I am Hashem who took you out of Egypt to be your God.” Rashi explains: The purpose…
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Let me ask you a question: If your friend was exhausted, overwhelmed, and on the verge of breaking… what would you say? “Take care of yourself. You need rest. You’re doing so much. Be kind to yourself.” But when it’s you feeling that way? You push harder. You criticize yourself. You say, “I can’t stop…
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Choose Life. Choose Joy. Choose Geula. There is a powerful idea toward the end of Parshat Acharei Mot: “Ushmartem et chukotai… asher yaaseh otam ha’adam vachai bahem” – “You shall keep My statutes and My laws, that a person shall do them and live by them” (Vayikra 18:5). What does it mean to “live by…
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Parshat Acharei Mot tells us not to live like the nations of the world: “Like the ways of Egypt… and of Canaan… do not do.” (Vayikra 18:3) Why? Because their society was built on a belief that this world is all there is.If life ends at death, then why hold back?Why not mourn with despair?…
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In this week’s parsha, we learn something surprising:When Bnei Yisrael enter Eretz Yisrael, Hashem tells them that tzara’at will appear on the walls of their new houses. It sounds like a punishment—but Chazal reveal a deeper story. Rashi, quoting Vayikra Rabbah, explains that when the local nations heard Bnei Yisrael were coming, they hid their…
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The Mouth That Destroys, The Mouth That Rebuilds Not long ago, we all felt it.The silence. The distance. The ache of being apart.During the Covid lockdowns, even Pesach seders were held in empty rooms. Shabbos meals with no guests.Some of us were lucky to have family.But too many were completely alone — no one to…
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Parshat Shemini opens with a powerful phrase:“Vayehi bayom hashmini” — And it was on the eighth day. But before that?Seven days of repetition.Seven days where Moshe built the Mishkan… and took it down.Again and again. Day after day. Build. Dismantle. Repeat. Imagine the frustration. The confusion.Why pour your heart into something, only to undo it?Why…
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How can someone so holy, so close to Hashem, be punished so harshly? In this week’s parsha, we read the shocking story of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon. Filled with spiritual passion and awe, they bring a korban that Hashem did not command—and are immediately consumed by a heavenly fire. They had just…
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This week’s parsha begins with a moment charged with destiny:“Vayehi bayom hashmini”—And it was on the eighth day.It was the first of Nisan, but more than that—it was the eighth day since Moshe began erecting the Mishkan.For seven days, Moshe built it, served as the Kohen Gadol, performed the Avodah, and disassembled it each evening.But…
