Tag: redemption
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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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Parshat Balak gives us a rare glimpse into the enemy’s war room. Balak, king of Moav, is terrified. Not because Bnei Yisrael attacked. They didn’t. But because he saw their strength. He felt their moral clarity. And that frightened him more than any army. So he hires Bilam, a world-class prophet with a twisted heart,…
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Hashem told Moshe to speak to the rock. Just speak. But after so many complaints, Moshe reaches a breaking point. He cries out, “Listen, you rebels!” and hits the rock. And then… everything changes. Hashem tells Moshe and Aharon, “Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me before the eyes of Bnei Yisrael,…
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Complaining vs. Gratitude: A Mindset That Shapes Everything In this week’s parsha, Bnei Yisrael complain. They remember the “free” fish in Egypt, the cucumbers, leeks, onions, and garlic — and they long for it. Not freedom. Not connection to Hashem. Just food. Just comfort. They forget the slavery. The pain. The miracles that carried them…
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In Parshat Bamidbar, Hashem commands Moshe to organize the Jewish camp — not randomly, but with divine precision. Each tribe had a unique flag, symbolizing its identity and mission. The tribes formed four groupings around the Mishkan — the dwelling place of the Shechina. But these groupings weren’t arbitrary.They were intentional.They were complementary. For example,…
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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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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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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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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…
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We Will Sing Again Shirat HaYam is not just a memory. It’s a preview. The song we read this Shabbat—Az Yashir Moshe—was the song of a nation who had just been saved. But if you look closely, it’s written in the future tense: “Then Moshe will sing.” Why? Because that song isn’t finished. That clarity,…
