The Purity of Jerusalem
This week’s parsha opens with the laws of childbirth. We are taught that the mother of the new baby becomes impure for a period of time and cannot enter the Beit HaMikdash. Many commentators have expressed bewilderment over this law. Ritual impurity is usually rooted in items or processes relating to death or negative phenomenon. […]
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The Unifying Heart of the People
This week’s haftorah focuses on Shlomo’s prayer upon completing the construction of the Beit HaMikdash. He begins with a statement that “God dwells in the heavy cloud,” referring to the “cloud” of the Divine Presence that had just filled the Beit Mikdash. He soon turns to the people and describes that God had never before […]
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The Lion of Jerusalem
After receiving the donations for the Mishkan, Moshe informs the Jewish people that God appointed Betzalel and Ahali’av to lead the building operations. Interestingly, the Torah does not suffice with their names but specifies that they were from the tribes of Yehuda and Dan, respectively. Why is this tidbit of information important? Rabbeinu Saadya Gaon […]
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The Loyalty of Jerusalem
Our parsha opens with a command to Moshe to “pure oil of beaten olives for lighting for kindling lamps regularly” of the Menorah. This light represents the pure light of God with which we are to light up the Beit HaMikdash, Yerushalayim, ourselves, and the entire world. There are many different forms of oils and […]
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The Song of Zion
This Shabbat is known as “Shabbat Shirah” or the Shabbat of Song, due to the fact that our parsha records the first song sung by the entire Jewish people at the banks of the Yam Suf. Songs and music have a way to create an emotional attachment to an idea or ideal and this week […]
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The Binding Walls of Jerusalem
Jewish unity is an important value in the Torah. God only rests his presence on the Jewish people when they are unified. We are told that the Jewish people were as one person with one heart when God gave them the Torah. Considering the importance of this unity, we must inquire about how it practically […]
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Our Natural Connection to Jerusalem
Our parsha seems repetitive. Torah describes the events of Eliezer’s trip to Aram Naharaim in great detail. Then, when Eliezer meets Lavan and tells him about his mission and miraculous story, the Torah does not suffice to simply say that Eliezer recounted the story to Lavan. Rather, it records for us the entirety of Eliezer’s […]
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The Communal Judgement of Jerusalem
Yerushalayim has a special status during the Days of Awe. Regarding Rosh HaShanah, the Mishna teaches us that when Rosh HaShanah fell out on Shabbat it was forbidden to blow the shofar anywhere in the world other than in the Beit HaMikdash and Yeurshalayim. Even after the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed and the ability to […]
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Creating Context by Remembering Jerusalem
Towards the end of our parsha, nestled between the mitzvah of Orlah and the prohibition against forms of witchcraft is an enigmatic phrase: “You shall not eat over the blood.” Ramban explains that on a literal level the verse relates to the practice of idolatrous priests who would eat blood during their magical rites. However, […]
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A Growth Oriented City
In its list of sin-offerings, the Torah has a unique introduction. Instead of beginning with the usual contingent situation of “if a person sins,” the Torah begins with the phrase “asher nasi yecheta” which would normally be translated: “when the leader sins.” Rashi, though, following a rabbinic reading, says that the word “asher” in this […]
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