The Library

“They should confess the sin that they did” (5:7) The words “that they did” are superfluous. The Torah is saying that it is not enough to confess the sin. Sin does not occur in a vacuum. Sin occurs in a lifestyle that made the sin possible. A recovering alcoholic on h...

In instructing Moses to take the census of the Israelites, the literal translation of what Hashem said is, “Elevate the heads of the children of Israel.” The parsha Bamidbar precedes Shavuos, when we commemorate the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Prior to that great event,...

The Torah tells us the rich rewards we will receive if we observe the Torah, and this is followed by a stern warning of the harsh consequences that will result if we deviate from the Torah. In Ethics of the Fathers, we are instructed to observe the Torah, “not as servants...

In this parsha we have the mitzvah of sefiras haomer. Hashem instructed the Jews to count forty-nine days, and this would then lead to the Revelation and giving of the Torah at Sinai. There were many miracles at the exodus, but the greatest miracle of all was that a peopl...

The Torah says, "You shall not do as the Egyptians do, from whose land you left, nor as the Canaanites do, to whose land you are entering." What can this mean? There are already 365 specific prohibitions. What is the Torah referring to? There are many permissible activiti...

The Torah says that if a person develops a skin lesion which may be tzoraas, he must show it to the kohain. The Rebbe of Stolin said, “How different the chassidim of today are from those of the previous generation. Today’s chassidim try to show the Rebbe how pious and ob...

The Torah relates that the two sons of Aaron died when they introduced “an alien fire” to the altar. Rebbe Yishmael says that they died because they were intoxicated with wine when they did the service. How does Rebbe Yishmael dare to contradict the Torah that clearly st...

This portion of the Torah describes the olah offering, which was entirely burned on the mizbe’ach (altar) and none of it was eaten by the kohanim. The Talmud says that the kohanim needed a stringent warning about the olah service because it involved a financial loss. O...

Vayikra “The Kohen shall provide him atonement before G-d, and it shall be forgiven him for any of all the things he might do to incur guilt” (5:26) The Seer of Lublin commented that after a person achieves forgiveness for a particular sin, he is then in a position to dis...

These portions of the Torah complete the account of the building of the Mishkan. The work in the construction of the mishkan and its appurtenances required exceptional skills. For examples, the curtains were woven so that one side had cherubim and the other side had anima...

This portion of the Torah narrates a tragic event. Within weeks of the greatest spiritual event of history, the Divine revelation at Sinai, the Jews, who had reached a level of angelic holiness, fell precipitously into the idolatry of the Golden Calf. How could so radical...

This portion of Torah dictates the mitzvah of kindling the menorah. Lighting the menorah in the Sanctuary, lighting the Chanukah candles and lighting the Shabbos candles are all important mitzvos. Lighting a candle is symbolic. If you light a candle to provide light for y...

“Speak to the Children of Israel and let them take for Me…” This verse refers to the donations to build the Sanctuary. But then, shouldn’t it have said “give for Me?” Giving is an important mitzvah, but one must also know how to take. A woman who completed her first year...

When Hashem gave the Jews the Torah, they said, "naaseh v'nishma", we will do and we will listen. The commentaries ask, "How can they do before they hear?" At an AA meeting, a prominent lawyer, who was celebrating his 40th year of sobriety, said, "When I first joined AA, ...

Yisro said to Moses, “What you are doing is not good. Being the sole judge for a population of millions is sure to exhaust you. Therefore, develop various levels of judges to assist you.” The Midrash says that because Yisro advised Moses to select capable people as judges...

The Torah relates that the Israelites came to Marah, "...but they could not drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter" (Exodus 15:23,25). We understand the verse to mean that the water was bitter. The Baal Shem Tov said that "they" refers to the Israelites, not t...

G-d tells Moses to instruct the Israelites on the mitzvah of redeeming the first-born. Instead of doing so, Moses tells them to always remember the enslavement in Egypt and the Exodus, and only thereafter dictates the mitzvah of redeeming the first-born (Exodus13:1-15). ...

Although we all read the Torah, no one understands the saga of the Exodus as someone familiar with addiction. Pharaoh is warned of serious punishment if he does not allow the Israelites to leave, but he rejects the warning. Then the punishments begin: the Nile turns to bl...