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Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Parsha Matos-Masei – Purged by Fire and Water Life is a constant struggle. We are always fighting a war against one obstacle or another. In the process of fighting against our enemy we may occasionally appropriate the “utensils” or instruments of our enemy. We may possibly absorb certain customs and mores that were never a part of our own cultu Parsha Matos-Masei – Purging Our Utensils Moses’ devotion to his people was so great that he was willing to sacrifice his own spiritual standing, by virtue of his anger, to teach them important lessons and to help rehabilitate them. The faithful leader of the Jewish people was willing to degrade himself for their sake. And indeed, his anger Parsha Matos-Masei – Synchronization While we are standing on the threshold of the Final Redemption we are not yet living in a perfect world. Frequently the spiritual and physical realms are not in sync with one another. A beautiful soul can be housed in a unattractive body and vice versa. The Beis Hamikdash, the Holy Temple, was an ex Parsha Matos-Masei – The Four Exiles The designation of the Jewish people as Israel was based on their transcendence of nature. The name Israel was given to the Patriarch Jacob because he “fought with G-d’s angel (a metaphor for the forces of nature as well) and people (other nations) and prevailed.” The name Israel denotes all that wa Parsha Matos-Masei – The Great Equalizer The daughters of Tzelaphechad were intellectually different but on the level of piety they were the same. That sameness transcended their differences. Parsha Matos-Masei – The Smell of Justice As we approach the final journey into the Messianic Age, we must orient ourselves towards a greater understanding of the needs of others. We should be able to judge others favorably by giving them the benefit of the doubt. To cultivate this positive trait, it is crucial that we also cultivate a deep Parsha Matos-Masei – The Wandering Jew The soul cannot be content with intermittent spurts of energy. The soul, however, wants truth and consistency and will stop at nothing until it has achieved its goal. Parsha Matos-Masei – Turning Shadows Into Light Life is a vacuous cycle that gets us nowhere unless we connect it with a Mitzvah G-d’s will. G-d does not exist for something else, so too a Mitzvah, which is an expression of His will, does not have to serve some other need. It is not jut a means to an end; it is an end! Parsha Matos-Masei – Vows and Tongs in the Twilight Zone During the twilight period which bridges the gap between the weekdays and Shabbos, G-d empowers us to make the transition from the “repair the world” mode into an “uplift the world” mode. It equips us with the tools to raise an already perfected world to an even more sublime level. Parsha Pinchas – Are You an Extremist? Most would agree that helping the poor is good. Devoting one’s life to helping them is even better. Helping people zealously and being extremely kind and compassionate to the extreme is obviously a virtue, not a vice. Parsha Pinchas – 7 for 70 The Jewish people were chosen to serve as a light to the nations of the world. Even when the Jewish people were situated on the Land of Israel, far from having direct contact with other nations except for occasional battles with their neighbors, they nevertheless had the power to generate spiritual Parsha Pinchas – Climbing Out of the Pit In this week’s parsha, Pinchas, the Torah recounts how G-d told Moses to take the census of the Jewish nation after they had… Parsha Pinchas – Close the Mem Torah is G-d’s knowledge and cannot be tainted. Torah, at its root and in its essence is Divine and pure. When it is introduced into the parameters of our physical existence and materialistic pursuits it can become corrupted. Study of the mystical teachings preserve the Torah’s integrity under all c Parsha Pinchas – Divine Bread The daily sacrifice in the Temple is described by the Torah as “G-d’s bread.” Bread—the staff of life—is what unites the soul and the body. What makes the shidduch-match between these two disparate entities? It is the food that we ingest. For G-d—the Soul of the universe—to be wed to our material ex Parsha Pinchas – Good Intentions Mere positive thoughts do not suffice to completely eradicate all the negative consequences of one’s evil behavior. As powerful as a sincere thought and of good intentions are, there is no substitute for acting in accordance with those thoughts. Particularly, when our actions are performed in public Parsha Pinchas – Hypocrisy A hypocrite is not one who may do an act at a later time that would contradict the spirit of the mitzvah he is about to fulfill. A hypocrite is one who tries to conceal evil in a veil of righteousness. What one ate for breakfast is quite irrelevant to fulfilling the request to put on Tefillin or do Parsha Pinchas – Infinity Liberation means we are empowered to break out of any box. Parsha Pinchas – Jewish Leader’s Resume A leader must have the capacity to deal with every individual on his or her level. A true leader must not only be concerned for the survival of the entire nation, but also with the petty needs of every individual. Indeed, for a genuine leader, an individual’s needs cannot be considered petty. Parsha Pinchas – Make Israel Here! The Land of Israel is the land that enables its inhabitants to gain mastery over all the natural forces in the world, that they conform with G-d’s original intent in creating the world. This intent, our sages declare, was for us to make the world into a dwelling place for G-d. We are to “conquer” th Parsha Pinchas – Leadership in Three Dimensions Many leaders today act as if they are leading the way, but when they come to a thorny or controversial matter, they turn around to determine which way the people want them to choose. The leaders thus become the quintessential followers. Moshiach will be a true leader. He will unlock the spiritual po