ב"ה
Massei 5765 - August 5, 2005
Current
Peace or Piece?
"Peace" is commonly regarded as synonymous with compromise. But what if you compromise the very foundation on which the existence of peace depends?
"Peace" is commonly regarded as synonymous with compromise. But what if you compromise the very foundation on which the existence of peace depends?
Parshah
Masei in a Nutshell
The Israelites’ journey from Egypt until now is detailed. The boundaries of the Land of Israel are given, and cities of refuge are designated.
The Israelites’ journey from Egypt until now is detailed. The boundaries of the Land of Israel are given, and cities of refuge are designated.
Story
Choice
"What have I in my hand?" asked the young skeptic
"A butterfly," said the wise old man
"Is it alive or dead?" queried the youth
"What have I in my hand?" asked the young skeptic
"A butterfly," said the wise old man
"Is it alive or dead?" queried the youth
Haunted by Souls of the Past
I am a grandchild of Holocaust survivors but I feel haunted as if I went through it myself. I regularly see images of Auschwitz in dreams and flashes. I am sometimes even scared to tell people I am Jewish. Am I crazy?
I am a grandchild of Holocaust survivors but I feel haunted as if I went through it myself. I regularly see images of Auschwitz in dreams and flashes. I am sometimes even scared to tell people I am Jewish. Am I crazy?
Tribalism
Is tribalism good or bad for the soul? How are we to weigh our loyalties to family, community and "tribe" against our role as a partner in the mission and destiny of the entirety of the Jewish people?
Is tribalism good or bad for the soul? How are we to weigh our loyalties to family, community and "tribe" against our role as a partner in the mission and destiny of the entirety of the Jewish people?
"He that kills a person accidentally... shall remain [exiled in the "city of refuge"] until the death of the High Priest" (Numbers 35:11, 25). Why is the High Priest to blame? ... Said a venerable old scholar: I heard an explanation at one of the seasonal lectures of Raba, that he failed to pray for his generation. As was the case of that fellow who was devoured by a lion some three parasangs from Rabbi Joshua ben Levi's town, and Elijah the Prophet refused to visit Rabbi Joshua on that account for three days...
— Talmud, Makot 11a
Print Magazine
In Torah, we mirror on earth that which G‑d performs on every plane of reality.
If so, since the Torah prohibits dislocating even a single stone of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, how could it be that G‑d brought the entire structure to ruins?
For it would certainly be absurd to imagine that the Assyrians or the Romans ha...
New on Chabad.org