The story of our beginnings, of us as a people, is unique in a cultural landscape among other stories of the beginnings presented by various religions and legends. First of all, the beginnings of the beginnings are not simple. God sends the Patriarchs back and forth and they are wandering from a place to place. […]

There are three different names associated with Pesach (or Passover). The first one is Chag HaMatzot, the Festival of Matzah, which refers to the unleavened bread we eat during this time to commemorate the haste in which the Israelites left Egypt. The second name is Chag HaAviv, the Festival of Spring, which reminds us of […]

This week we read two Parashot, Vayakhel and Pekudei. The reason for this is the lunar-solar nature of the Jewish calendar, wherein in non-leap years (such as the year 5778) there aren’t enough weeks to read each Torah portion separately. Thus – whether we like it or not – the Moon and the Sun determine […]

Thoughts on Parashat Ki Tisa and on the Purim Megillah [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Moses went back to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people is guilty of a great sin in making for themselves a god of gold. Now, if You will forgive their sin [well and good]; but if not, […]

In the first aliyah of this week’s Torah portion, Trumah, we find the following words: [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] ‘Have them make an ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both […]