The Sidra of Korach is named after the man who organized a very serious rebellion against Moses and Aaron in the desert, in the second year after the Exodus. The name Korach is striking because it means bald. In Hebrew we have a proverb: YATZA KERE’ACH MIKAN UMIKAN. It means: “You come out bald […]
The Sidra of Shlach-Lecha is devoted, mostly, to the grave sin which was committed first by 10 of the 12 spies that were sent by Moses to investigate the land. As a consequence, the entire nation sinned by rebelling against God. It turned out to be the second most catastrophic event in the desert, equal […]
Today’s Sidra begins on a note of joy and happiness. It focuses on the light of the Menorah and tells us that Aaron was commanded to light its lamps so that six flames, three on each side, should be directed towards the central flame. According to another interpretation, he was instructed to ensure that all […]
The Sidra of Behar is a relatively short Sidra and is devoted to holy periods of times which come only rarely. It speaks about the year of release, called Sh’mittah, which occurs every seven years and the Jubilee year, which comes every 50 years. During the Sh’mittah years all agricultural activities have to cease. […]
COMMENTARY ON THE SIDROT OF ACHAREI MOT AND KEDOSHIM 5773 BY RABBI YAAKOV GRUNEWALD The Book of Vayika is devoted primarily to two distinct themes; PURITY AND HOLINESS, which are called in Hebrew by the terms of TOHARAH and KEDUSHAH. The first six Sidrot deal with the concept of purity and the last 4, beginning […]
Both the Sidrot of Tazria and Mezora are devoted to the laws of purity and defilement in the Jewish Religion. The name Tazria comes from the Hebrew root ZRA, which means ‘seed’. Therefore, the name refers either to a woman who has conceived a child or has given birth. Metzora refers to a person has […]
The first seven Sidrot in the book of Vayikra concentrate on the laws relating to the purity and holiness of the whole nation of Israel. The Sidra of Emor focuses on the holiness of the priests who were obliged to adhere to a higher standard of sanctity than others. The first verse in the Sidra […]
The Sidra of Shemini begins with an account of the dedication of Aaron and his four sons as KOHANIM. It took place on the eighth day, after seven days of purification from all their sins and sanctification to become servants of the Almighty. The eighth day has great significance in the Bible. Circumcision takes place […]
The Sidra of Tzav is addressed to the KOHANIM with the instructions to them how to prepare and offer up the sacrifices on behalf of the nation and also on behalf of individuals. According to a famous interpretation by Rashi, the word Tzav, which means ‘command’, denotes encouragement to perform it with urgency and […]
The Book of Vayikra is devoted almost entirely to the laws of the sacrifices and the conduct of the priests who served in the sanctuary. For this reason our ancient rabbis called the book TORAT KOHANIM and it is this name that became known in the Greek speaking world and in other European languages. […]