April 28, 2025 | 30 Nisan, 5785 - Rosh Chodesh Iyar - 15th day of the Omer | Torah Portion: Tazria Metzorah, Leviticus 12:1-15:33 | Haftorah: Kings II 7:3-20
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Tough Love
And it was/Vayehi on the eighth day…
Chazal[2] observe that sometimes Scripture uses the word vayehi, and at other times the word vehaya. Both ...read more

Sanctity and Humility
SHEMINIShmuel II 6:1–7:17Sanctity and Humility
This week’s Haftarah teaches us an important lesson about sanctity and the true greatness one ...read more

A Clear Upside-Down World
This week we read the parsha of Shemini. "Va'y'hee ba'yom ha'shmini (And it was on the eighth day) [9:1]." Rashi explains that this was the ...read more

Visiting a Shiva House
Once upon a time
Rachel and Chaya stood at the door of their neighbour’s home. The two sisters had come to visit the Brickstein shiva house, ...read more

Genteel Ambiguity
Vulgar language is not acceptable according to the Torah. We are always expected to speak with refinement and decorum, but the Torah does not ...read more

Inner Peace
At the most importune time in the history of a fledgling nation, tragedy strikes. On the eighth day of the inaugural ceremonies for the Mishkan, ...read more

Entanglement
Talk about entanglement. The simple narrative has Nadav and Avihu dying because they brought an “unauthorized fire” during the inauguration ...read more

Laws of Kohanim
BS”D
Volume 39, No. 26
28 Nissan 5785
April 26, 2025
Sponsored by Rona and Aaron Lerner in memory of his father Yaakov Yona ben Yisrael ...read more

The Requirement of Jewish Leadership: A Feeling of Unworthiness
This dvar Torah was adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah portion: ...read more

An Open-Ended Question
Why is this night different from all other nights? (Haggadah of Pesach)
Why do questions play such a major role at the Pesach Seder? What ...read more
Other Articles

Chapter 2, Law 6 – Smooth Talk and Self-Deception
It is forbidden for a person to accustom himself to speaking words of 'smoothness' and deception. And a person should not be of different mind ...read more

Chapter 6, Mishna 6: Ways 34-36(b): The Human Challenge – Part II
Torah is greater than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is acquired with 30 qualities, priesthood is acquired with 24, whereas the Torah is ...read more

Chapter 6, Mishna 6: Ways 34-36(a): The Human Challenge – Part I
Torah is greater than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is acquired with 30 qualities, priesthood is acquired with 24, whereas the Torah is ...read more

Chapter 2, Law 5 – The Torah Speaks for Itself
"A fence for wisdom is silence" (Pirkei Avos 3:17). Therefore, one should not hurry to respond and not speak excessively. One should teach his ...read more

Chapter 6, Mishna 6: The 48 Ways: 33(b) – Does Israel Know Better? Part II
Torah is greater than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is acquired with 30 qualities, priesthood is acquired with 24, whereas the Torah is ...read more

Chapter 2, Law 4(c) – Scaling the Heights
A person should always accustom himself to keeping silent ...
So too regarding words of Torah and wisdom. The words of the scholar should be ...read more

Chapter 2, Law 4(b) – Silence and the Road to Self-Discovery
A person should always accustom himself to keeping silent (lit., 'should increase his silence'). He should speak only of matters of wisdom or ...read more

Chapter 6, Mishna 6: The 48 Ways: 32 – Back to Nature
Torah is greater than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is acquired with 30 qualities, priesthood is acquired with 24, whereas the Torah is ...read more

Chapter 2, Law 4(a) – Speech: Expressions of the Soul
A person should always accustom himself to keeping silent (lit., 'should increase his silence'). He should speak only of matters of wisdom or ...read more

Chapter 6, Mishna 6: The 48 Ways: 30-31: The Big Picture
Torah is greater than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is acquired with 30 qualities, priesthood is acquired with 24, whereas the Torah is ...read more