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Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Parsha Tazria-Metzora – The Three Haircuts There are powerful forces swirling around us today as a prelude to the ultimate Redemption. Our challenge today is not a dearth of spirituality but our ability to safely and securely absorb these powerful forces. METZORA METZORA Parsha Tazria-Metzora – Uncovering the Treasures with Sensitivity While Moshiach will liberate us from exile, he will not free us from our obligations to G-d and others. To bring Moshiach we cannot compromise our dedication to every nuance of Torah. METZORA METZORA Parsha Tazria-Metzora – White Is Not Always Beautiful White symbolizes removing the façade to expose the underbelly of our personalities. This can be either a cathartic or embarrassing experience, or both. METZORA METZORA Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – A Lesson for Rabbis On the opening words of Avos, “Moses received the Torah from Sinai,” there is a well-known question. Why does it describe Moses’ role as the recipient rather than G-d’s role as the giver of the Torah? It could have said, “G-d gave the Torah to Moses...” Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – As It Is Taught in Heaven Pirkei Avos is dedicated to the teaching of ethics. The very first Mishnah—after delineating the order in which the Torah was transmitted from Sinai through Moses and subsequent generations—contains three inaugural teachings that were imparted to us by the Men of the Great… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – : Avos According to Pardes Avos begins with an enumeration of the pivotal periods of Torah transmission. Moses received the Torah at Sinai and from there it was passed on to subsequent periods until it reached the Men of the Great Assembly, whose ethical teachings are the first to be mentioned in this… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – Earlier and Later Morality Pirkei Avos begins with a chronology of generations from Moses through the Men of the Great Assembly; how the Torah, which was given to Moses at Sinai, was transmitted by him to Joshua etc. The Mishnah then details three ethical directives that were authored by the Men of the… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – Joining Opposites When the author of the first Mishnah in Avos describes the order of Torah’s transmission it states: Moses received the Torah from Sinai.” Why, commentators ask, was it necessary to stress that Moses received the Torah and that he received it at Sinai? Wouldn’t it have been more… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – One Recipient “Moses received the Torah at Sinai and passed it on to Joshua and Joshua to the elders…” Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – Take and Give The first Mishnah of Avos comprises two themes: First, Moses’ receiving of the Torah and the order of its transmission through the Men of the Great Assembly. And second, the three maxims of the Men of the Great Assembly: “Be deliberate in judgment, raise many students and make a… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – The Five Prerequisites The very first Mishnah of Pirkei Avos delineates the order of the transmission of the Torah. Moses was the first to have received the Torah from G-d at Mount Sinai and he, in turn, transmitted it to Joshua. From Joshua it was passed on to the elders, from the elders to the… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – Refinement Through Torah When surveying the first Mishnah of Avos we are struck by the way the author combined apparently disparate themes in one Mishnah. The Mishnah begins with a list of recipients of Torah and how it paws passed on from Moses—who received it at Sinai—to Joshua, and from Joshua to the… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – The Order of Transmission This Mishnah appears to comprise two distinct themes. The first segment of the Mishnah describes the order of the transmission of the Torah. Moses received it from Sinai and had then transmitted it to subsequent generations until it reached the Men of the Great Assembly. The… Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos 1:1 – The Prophet Sage When the author of Avos listed the stages of the Torah’s transmission from Moses onwards, it lists the prophets as one of the links in the tradition. Parsha Shemini – 8x8 Moshiach is about going beyond one’s nature. Preparation for Moshiach requires a paradigm shift. Parsha Shemini – Double Duality Keeping kosher is good for the soul and the body. But, most importantly, it contributes to our sensitivity to spiritual matters. Parsha Shemini – Eight Is Not Seven! Numbers are a language. The number eight communicates the idea of transcendence. Parsha Shemini – Drink to Rectify the Drinking Keeping Kosher and Anti-Semitism have united Jews for opposite reasons. Parsha Shemini – Fix and Decorate Hypocrisy and inconsistency are not synonyms. The former is an intention to deceive; the latter is the natural fluctuations of life. We win some battles and lose some. Parsha Shemini – Idle Is Idol A person was created to be mobile. One must always strive to grow. To be a liberated person one must first be intolerant of the stifling stagnation of exile.