The question: “What does the (Law of) Shmitah (Sabbatical year) have to do with Mt. Sinai?” is a well known phrase in Hebrew. Hebrew speakers use it whenever they argue that the two issues you just brought up are not dependent on each other, actually have nothing to do with each other. The source of […]

Shabbat HaGadol -5775 “The offering (minchah) of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant to Adonai as in the days of old and as in ancient years.” [Malachi 3:4] This verse, which begins the Haftarah on the Sabbath preceding Passover, Shabbat HaGadol, received a surprising modern Midrashic interpretation in the early 20th century. The noun ‘Minchah’ […]

Shabbat HaGadol -5775 “The offering (minchah) of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant to Adonai as in the days of old and as in ancient years.” [Malachi 3:4] This verse, which begins the Haftarah on the Sabbath preceding Passover, Shabbat HaGadol, received a surprising modern Midrashic interpretation in the early 20th century. The noun ‘Minchah’ […]

Shabbat haChodesh 5775 Why did God redeem us from slavery, persecution and suffering from Egypt, Babylon, and other countries already 3 times in our 35 centuries of history? The basic, common answer is simple: God promised Abraham to rescue his offspring. “VeHee sheamda laavoteinu velanu =This ancient Divine pledge secured our survival and the survival […]