ב"ה
Parshah Columnists
53 items in this section
Guest Columnists
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The Empowering Art of Framing Why is it important to list the journeys? The Torah isn’t a
history book, nor is it a travelogue, so what’s the purpose of this list?
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Low-Speed Travel Where are we headed at such breakneck speed?
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Cities of Refuge Demystified Learn about the ancient cities in Israel where killers and priests rubbed shoulders
The cities of refuge were only for those who killed accidentally, not knowing the consequences of their actions.
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Moving I can't believe I find myself in the same position, doing the same task: packing. Again, we're moving. We've moved five times in seven years...
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A Kabbalist's Guide to Hieroglyphics This thing about the Jews “wandering” through the desert is a misconception. They were no more wandering through the desert than a spelling bee champion wanders through the alphabet.
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Two Rabbis Came to the Door I had been a seeker for many years by the time I knocked on the door of Lubavitch House...
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One of My Forty-Two Journeys We were separated from the group, and found ourselves paddling somewhat aimlessly down little back areas replete with lilies, and no visible dry land. A deep fear overtook me...
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The Daughters of Zelophehad “Why should our father’s name be eliminated from his family because he had no sons? Give us a landholding among our father’s brothers!”
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The Temple Guards and Their Mystical Meaning Rabbi Levi Yitzchak devotes 25 pages of dense Kabbalistic text to explaining this discrepancy through the lens of Jewish mysticism.
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Forging Ahead, Leading the Way Did the nation of Israel transform? Have the people integrated lessons learned? And are they ready to become independent, mature, individuated human beings, leading themselves through their life journeys?
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Why People Feel So Important at the Airport You can just see it written on their faces as they purposefully wheel suitcases down the terminal . . .
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The Journey vs. the Destination Sometimes, a journey is only about reaching the destination. Other times, it’s about what happens along the way.
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Do the Jews Deserve the Land of Israel? The Land of Israel is Heaven’s perfectly suitable gift suited for the Jewish people. By the same token, it is beyond what the Jews can ever deserve.
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Weekly Sermonette
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The Power of Prayer Now this is very strange. Here is a man who, though not a murderer, is not entirely innocent of having caused the loss of a person's life. Opposite him stands the High Priest of Israel, noble, aristocratic and, arguably, the holiest Jew alive. Do we really have reason to fear that the prayers of this morally tainted prisoner will have such a negative effect on the exalted High Priest, to the extent that the High Priest may die?
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Through the Eyes of a Woman
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Reflections on the Parshah
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Journeys Our forty-year desert sojourn is a metaphor for our long national history of wandering. It also infuses us with hope and purpose.
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Parshah Musings
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How Many Roads Must A Man Stumble Down? The answer is easy: 42. It's the question that's more difficult to ascertain.
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The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life A smoker once told me that quitting was dead easy; he personally had stopped dozens of times...
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Leadership Someone appointed by a group must decide policy from the perspective of the group as a whole. The leader with the Divine mandate can thus be most responsive to the individualized needs of his flock.
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Just Passing Through The Jews of the desert may have remained relatively undisturbed for years at a stretch, but they had no way of knowing, from one day to the next, how long they could expect to stay where they were.
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Parshah Blog
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The Blood Avenger and the Cities of Refuge Isn't encouragement of vengeance precisely what the City of Refuge system does? Doesn't the American system do a better job of dealing with such a sad episode, discouraging vigilante justice?
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Parshah Messages
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A Timely Yahrtzeit What is so remarkable about the timing of Aaron's yahrtzeit that it merits explicit mention in the Torah?
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What the Rebbe Taught Me
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Milestones or Tombstones Why are these forty-two pit stops referred to as “journeys,” rather than “encampments”? Weren’t each of these destinations milestones reached, not just locations left behind?
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Living through the Parshah
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Brother of Peace The clouds represented everything that Aaron stood for—millions of people can be shielded by the same cloud, unlike food or water that can’t be shared by even two people simultaneously. Like the clouds, Aaron protected and cherished everyone equally...
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For Friday Night
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Phases Of Freedom Are we searching for freedom? Then the Torah will help us in our search...
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The Prayers of the High Priest The high priest should have been praying for his generation in a way which would have prevented such negligent accidents. Thus the accident indicates a flaw in the spiritual service of the high priest.
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Life's Passages
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A Thought for the Week
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So Long in the Desert The wilderness is “where man does not dwell”; on the highest level this refers to Adam HaElyon (“Supernal Man”)—G‑d. One who finds himself in such a state must transform the desert into a place where G‑d does dwell . . .
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Higher and Higher But today we cannot be satisfied with yesterday's standards of accomplishment. Not only is yesterday's liberation insufficient, imperfect--it is, for today, a strait, a limitation, an Egypt from which an exodus must be experienc
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Weekly Torah
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Journeying Through Life This Torah reminds us that even though we may have reached our destination, we should always be cognizant of the path which brought us there, and not take for granted those who have encouraged and guided us.
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Comment
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Life on the Inside The penimi appreciates the differences between important things and things
of lesser importance, between means and ends, between journeys and destinations. But in whatever he is involved, he is fully there. When he's on the way to something, he's fully invested in being on the way to something
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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?
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Parshah Recovery
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Higher and Higher During our recovery, chemical sobriety may have been the beginning of our Exodus. But "getting dry" is not the end of our journey to freedom.
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Covenant & Conversation
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The Religious Significance of Israel The paradox of Jewish history is that although a specific territory, the holy land, is at its heart, Jews have spent more time in exile than in Israel; more time longing for it than dwelling in it; more time travelling than arriving.
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The Prophetic Voice Jeremiah, the most passionate and tormented of all the prophets, has gone down in history as the prophet of doom. Yet this is unfair. He was also supremely a prophet of hope.
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Leadership at a Time of Crisis In Judaism, leadership is not a luxury but a necessity. Ours is a small and intensely vulnerable people. Inspired, we rise to greatness. Uninspired, we fall.
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Inner Stream
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It's What We Bring Home That Counts Life is a journey with stations along the way, some more comfortable than others. But when we settle in to those more comfortable stations, we may forget that we haven’t yet reached our destination.
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Back to Basics If we hold on to each teaching and weave it into the tapestry of teachings we have already learned, we will grow from each encounter.
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Beyond Speech
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It Is Our Victories That Define Us Sometimes you will overcome and sometimes you may fail. But know that every time you overcome, G‑d revels in your victory.
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On the Haftarah: What's so Terrible About Broken Wells? For the haftarah of Matot-Massei, From the Teachings of the Rebbe
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Together in Friendship When we are together in unity, we are
even stronger. We help each other overcome obstacles.
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Let's Be Like the Daughters of Tzelafchad The Torah here mentions them by name for
the third time, an honor bestowed on very few.
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Other Parshas
- BOOK OF BERESHIT
- Bereshit
- Noach
- Lech Lecha
- Vayera
- Chayei Sarah
- Toldot
- Vayetze
- Vayishlach
- Vayeshev
- Miketz
- Vayigash
- Vayechi
- BOOK OF SHEMOT
- Shemot
- Va'era
- Bo
- Beshalach
- Yitro
- Mishpatim
- Terumah
- Tetzaveh
- Ki Tisa
- Vayakhel
- Pekudei
- BOOK OF VAYIKRAH
- Vayikra
- Tzav
- Shemini
- Tazria
- Metzora
- Acharei Mot
- Kedoshim
- Emor
- Behar
- Bechukotai
- BOOK OF BAMIDBAR
- Bamidbar
- Naso
- Behaalotecha
- Shelach
- Korach
- Chukat
- Balak
- Pinchas
- Matot
- Masei
- BOOK OF DEVARIM
- Devarim
- Va'etchanan
- Eikev
- Re'eh
- Shoftim
- Ki Teitzei
- Ki Tavo
- Nitzavim
- Vayelech
- Haazinu
- V'Zot HaBerachah
- DOUBLE READINGS
- Vayakhel-Pekudei
- Tazria-Metzora
- Acharei-Kedoshim
- Behar-Bechukotai
- Chukat-Balak
- Matot-Masei
- Nitzavim-Vayelech
- HOLIDAY READINGS
- Rosh Hashanah
- Yom Kippur
- Sukkot
- Shemini Atzeret
- Simchat Torah
- Chanukah
- Purim
- Passover
- Shavuot
- Shekalim
- Zachor
- Parah
- Hachodesh
- Rosh Chodesh
- Fast Days