Election
I think it’s hard to start with any topic other than last week’s election.
Rivkah writing at Bat Aliyah tells us that it took only ten minutes to cast her ballot.
Jerusalem
Beshalach 5773 – Bitachon and Hishtadlut
Earlier this week Lisa and I had the privilege of attending sheva berachot for newly weds David and Tova.
I volunteered to say a davar Torah. I’m sharing the part of it that ties in with Parashat Beshalach.
Cleaning Up After Snow
Today it happened.
The city cleanup crew arrived to take away the debris from the recent snow storm.
Saying Thank You After a Storm
Saying “Thank You”
Ten days ago Israel was in the middle of a major winter storm.
There was lots of rain.
So much that reports of the Kinneret raising double digits in one day became old hat.
Thinking about Third Temple Sacrifices
Parashat Vayikra 5772
Earlier in the week I asked a number of questions to stimulate thinking about the difficult topic of animal sacrifices (offerings) in the Temple.
In this post I will focus on four questions:
- Why lean on the animal’s head?
- What is the purpose of animal sacrifices?
- Is there Judaism without animal sacrifices?
- Will there be animal sacrifices in the Third Temple?
Will There be Sacrifices in the Third Temple?
Parashat Vayikra 5772
As we read last week, at the end of Sefer Shemot, Moshe set up the Mishkan and the glory of God filled it.
Here at the beginning of Sefer Vayikra, God calls to Moshe and tells him which sacrifices the Jewish people will be offering.
I must mention that my teacher, Rabbi Mendel Farber, often told me that we should not refer to the animal offerings as sacrifices. To sacrifice something can imply that it is lost and now without value. He contends that whatever we give to God is never lost and never loses its value.