Bamidbar 5774

  • Opportunities

    (Torah Portion Bamidbar) Opportunities! Years ago while sitting next to a friend in Shul on Friday night during a particularly spirited Kabalat Shabbat service, he turned to me and said he was deeply moved by the singing and prayers which took him back to his youth when he attended Kabalat Shabbat services with his father. …

  • Temptation

    (Torah Portion Naso) Temptation! This week’s Torah portion is the largest of all portions. The bulk of the portion gives an account of the offerings and contributions that the princes of each tribe gave to the Temple during the twelve days of its inauguration. In general, the Torah is very selective in its words. However, …

  • Boy Wonder

    (Torah Portion Beha’aloscha) Boy Wonder! Over the Holiday of Shavuos we experienced a spiritual aura and an elevated feeling. After an interval of only one day we will have the opportunity to be enveloped in the sanctity of the holy Shabbos. During our prayers on Shavuos, we mention that Shavuos is the time when we …

  • Six Hundred Thousand

    (Torah Portion Shlach) Six Hundred Thousand! While our forefather Yaacov journeyed from the Land of Israel to Egypt to reunite with his son Yosef, G-d assured Yaacov that he wouldn’t be alone saying, “I will go down with you to Egypt and I will be with you when you leave.” The Torah tells us that …

  • The Good Wife

    (Torah Portion Korach) The Good Wife! This past weekend, while attending a family Simcha, my brother Elozar shared with me an insightful idea from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein o.b.m. The Torah relates the story of the 12 spies who were sent to check out the Land of Israel. Ten of the spies brought back a negative …

  • What’s on Their Minds!

    (Torah Portion Chukas) What’s on Their Minds! As the Jews were on their final leg of their journey to the Land of Israel, they sent emissaries to various countries bordering Israel asking permission to peacefully cut through their land. They were refused and in some instances the countries reacted with hostility and even all out …

  • Remarkably Devoted

    (Torah Portion Balak) Remarkably Devoted Bilaam was universally recognized as the leading non-Jewish prophet. Although Bilaam communicated with G-d, he was far from being pious and virtuous. Bilaam had an immoral lifestyle and sanctioned immoral behavior in society. How was this possible? After all, Bilaam had a direct communication with G-d. When we examine the …

  • Longing For!

    (Torah Portion Pinchas) Longing For! As Moshe’s leadership of the Jewish nation was coming to a close, he concerned himself with securing a replacement for himself asking G-d to appoint a competent and compassionate leader. Moshe asked G-d if maybe one of his sons could fill the job. G-d responded that he had someone else …

  • Finish Off the Job

    (Torah Portion Matos) Finish Off the Job The Midyonite women seduced many Jewish men to sin and as a result 24,000 Jewish men from the tribe of Shimon died in a plague. In this week’s portion G-d instructed Moshe to take revenge by waging war against the Midyonites. Moshe communicated G-d’s wishes to the people …

  • Potent and Effective!

    (Torah Portion Massai) Potent and Effective! As we usher in the Shabbat in our prayers Friday night, we recite six Psalms. Each Psalm represents a day of the week. Following the recitation of these Psalms we recite the prayer ‘Anah Bekoach’ which consists of seven sentences containing six words each for a total of forty-two …