From Generation to Generation B”H Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky This week we read parashat Korach. It is interesting to notice that in this parasha Miriam and Aaron die. In addition, Moses is sentenced to die before entering the Land of Israel. As the Chumash Etz Hayim points out, this is certainly an indication that a transition
Learning How to Have Arguments for the Sake of Heaven’s Name B”H Rabbi Daniela Szuster This week’s parashah begins by telling us that Korach, with a group of followers, confronted Moses and Aaron publicly and questioned their leadership. They affirmed that all in the community are holy, are equal in God’s eyes, and that none
Many Truths and a Few Lies By Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky This week we read the well-known story of the twelve spies. Before starting the conquest of the land, the Israelites need to know what kind of country it is, and what kind of people live in it. So, Moses sends twelve spies to scout the
Blessings Reaching Everyone Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky On this week’s parasha we find the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24-26), perhaps the most famous blessing in the Torah and, arguably, in the Jewish tradition. When God tells Moses to command Aaron and his sons to bless the Children of Israel he says, “Speak to Aaron and his sons:
Counting People as an Expression of Love and Appreciation B”H Rabbi Daniela Szuster This week we are starting the fourth book of the Torah, the book of B’midvar, which means “in the Wilderness” because it describes the wandering of the people of Israel in the desert. This book is known in English as “Numbers” because
Torah Thoughts on Parashat Bechukotai 5782 By Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky This week we read parashat Bechukotai, the last section of the Book of Leviticus. It contains a famous and long paragraph, known in Hebrew as the tochecha, literally admonition or reproof. This paragraph highlights the negative consequence of a failure by the people of Israel
