The LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: “Take a census of the whole community of Israel by their families and households, …
After the miraculous Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish people traveled in the desert for 49 days until they reached Mount Sinai on the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan. There they experienced the ultimate revelation and communion with Hashem. They encountered Hashem face to face, heard the voice …
Some years ago, a friend of mine asked me if I could spend some time preparing his son for his Bar Mitzvah. Now quite frankly, teaching thirteen-year-olds is not my forte; I love them but I am a teacher of adults. Still, my friend asked, so I agreed. I sat …
“These are the appointed holidays of G-d, holy convocations, which you are to proclaim in their appointed times.” — Lev. 23.4 Henny Youngman, the comedian, once said, “I tried being an atheist, but I gave it up. There were no holidays.” What is a holiday really about? Is it the …
After reading this article, you’ll never look at yourself — or others — the same way again. The actor Kirk Douglas, z”l, once told me that when people compliment him on a performance, they often tell him how great he was at losing himself in the part. “You just became …
I had a student that once came into my office and said, “My father who passed away was an atheist and a fantastic human being. He was such a moral human being. He was such a good human being. I don’t believe that had he been a believer, he would …
Happiness Through Holiness I had a student that once came into my office and said, “My father who passed away was an atheist and a fantastic human being. He was such a moral human being. He was such a good human being. I don’t believe that had he been a …
The Jewish Sages gave a spiritual rather than physiological explanation for the disease tsara’as (generally translated as “leprosy”) which affected not only the body but also clothing and the walls of houses. According to one source several sins could possible be the cause: R. Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of …
The Jewish Sages gave a spiritual rather than physiological explanation for the disease tsara’as (generally translated as “leprosy”) which affected not only the body but also clothing and the walls of houses. According to one source several sins could possible be the cause: R. Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the …
The first man and woman ate fruits and vegetables—not animals—in the Garden of Eden. It was only later, after the Flood during the time of Noah, that G-d allowed mankind to eat meat. We cannot understand the exact connection between the sins of mankind and the subsequent permission to eat …