1310 essays
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Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Parsha Vayikra – Heads First! Leaders must first have the requisite Torah knowledge before they engage in leadership. The qualifications for Moshiach, the ultimate leader, is his mastery of Torah Parsha Vayikra – Intimate Communications The degree of closeness with another can be detected in the way one communicates. The Book of Vayikra is about G-d’s most intimate communication with Moses and Israel. Parsha Vayikra – Mastering the Mystery The mystery is exile. Moses’s existence is to solve the existential mystery of life. Moshiach will reveal this because he possesses Moses’ soul Parsha Vayikra – Moshiach Sensitivity There are three aspects of exile induced insensitivity that causes: A false superiority complex; a false inferiority complex and not being in touch with our G-dly soul. Moshiach will reverse all that. Parsha Vayikra – Not All Animals Were Created Equal Our animal traits may be kosher if they are used for higher purposes. Parsha Vayikra – Open the Doors of Your Sanctuary! It is axiomatic that when we are engaged in routine behavior we must look into our soul for guidance. The truth is that even when we are engaged in purely spiritual activity we must also probe beneath the surface to ensure that our spirituality is genuine. Parsha Vayikra – Seeing the Light in a World of Darkness One of the hallmarks of the Messianic Age is it will take us out of darkness; out of our insecurities. It will then enable us to see the other. Living with Moshiach is to see the hand of G-d and the clarity that brings. Parsha Vayikra – Selfless-Selfishness The myth is that altruism negates looking for reward. The truth is that seeking reward for the right reason is the most complete way of serving G-d. Parsha Vayikra – Syntax and Sin-Tax The idea of a sacrifice is to get close to G-d. Getting close to G-d requires taking all of us, including our “animals” with us. Parsha Vayikra – Sensitivity Being sensitive is always right. It is even more crucial when our goal is to acquire sensitivity. One must be sensitive in the pursuit of sensitivity! Parsha Vayikra – Testify! Our role is to testify about G-d. Not just about G-d as a Creator and sustainer of life. And not just as a Supernatural force. Those are bit G-d’s attributes. We are empowered through our Mitzvos to testify about G-d’s Essence. Parsha Vayikra – The Aleph Linchpin Sometimes one letter can transform a word from one extreme to the other. In the Holy Tongue, that letter is the Aleph. When inserted in a word it can turn coldness into love and exile into Redemption. Parsha Vayikra – The Child in Us Passover is about the children. This includes the child in us. That child is our inner state of purity. Moshiach is about revealing it. Parsha Vayikra – The Soul of the Poor Man A holy form of poverty is called humility. This is when a person who has wealth knows that he owes everything to the One Above. Parsha Vayikra – True Leadership There is a symbiotic relationship between a true leader and his followers. What affects one affects the other. When we act in a royal fashion, our leader too can reveal his true greatness. Parsha Vayikra – Who’s Going to Heaven? One of the salient negative features of exile is the lack of sensitivity to G-d and others. Passover, the Holiday of liberation bans Chometz the symbol of an inflated ego because the source of exile is insensitivity that is generated by an inflated ego. Parsha Vayakhel-Pikudei – Betzalel’s Passion Frequently, we have to go back a generation or more to explain the source of our empowerment. Parents, grandparents and other ancestors bequeath to us a legacy of holiness. Betzalel inherited his obsession with holiness form his obscure grandfather, Chur. PIKUDEI PIKUDEI Parsha Vayakhel-Pikudei – Completing the Task PIKUDEI PIKUDEI Parsha Vayakhel-Pikudei – First “Doubleheader” The first two Torah portions reflect the two pronged thrust of Torah. We must see the community through the prism of the individual and the individual through the prism of the community. PIKUDEI PIKUDEI Parsha Vayakhel-Pikudei – “Fossil Fuel” for the Sanctuary The Mishkan and subsequent Holy Temples correspond to the human body. The holiness from the three divisions of the Sanctuary would flow through the human body. PIKUDEI PIKUDEI