The giving of the Torah took place on the sixth day of Sivan, at Ma‘amad Har Sinai, the extraordinary event when the covenant between...

THE GOLDEN CALF AND YOM KIPPUR This week's Perasha, KI TISA addresses several issues. Among them, the episode of the golden calf. The people, impatient...

THE LAST DETAILS OF THE MISHKAN God commands Moshe to take a population census of all adult males by collecting a silver half-shekel coin from...

Many children’s versions of Megillat Esther present the story with imaginative elements and colorful midrashic expansions that are appealing to young readers. However, this...

MIDRASH AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL Midrashim and Aggadot—rabbinic interpretations of biblical texts—include a wide range of literary genres. Some are fictional narratives, others are poetic,...

MENORA HaShem commands the Israelites to use the purest olive oil each day to kindle the Menora, the golden candelabrum inside the Tabernacle. THE GARMENTS OF...

The Tora mentions the preparation of the qetoret (קטורת הסמים), translated in English as “incense,” in our Parasha Tetsave (Shemot/Exodus 30:34). Incense is a...

The Ketuba, the Jewish marriage document,  states the obligations of the husband towards his wife (see more here). The groom declares to his bride...

ויקח ספר הברית ויקרא באזני העם ויאמרו כל אשר דבר ה' נעשה ונשמע Exodus 24:7 THE BERIT Three thousand five hundred years ago, the people of Israel...

Last week we read the Ten Commandments, which are like a preview of the 613 commandments, that make up the National Constitution of the...

לעשות אותם ימי משתה ושמחה ומשלח מנות איש לרעהו ומתנות לאביונים “To observe them as days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one...

MOSHE’S HUMILITY After their liberation from their Egyptian masters, the people of Israel faced several challenges: lack of water, food shortages, and, worst of all,...

In preparation for the Parashah that we will read tomorrow morning—Yitro—which describes the celebration of the Covenant between God and the Jewish people at...

The Advice of Yitro Moshe's father-in-law, Yitro, arrives at the Israelite camp in the desert and is informed by Moshe of the many miracles that...

My uncle, Hakham Yosef Faur, z"l, told me this story when I was a child. One day, the Sultan of Turkey—the most powerful man on...

“בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם ה׳” "HaShem will build Yerushalayim" King David does not describe the building of the capital city as an ordinary act of construction. He does...

Generally, we don't come to Israel in January. My wife, Coty, and I usually arrive in July and enjoy the summer. This time, however,...

EIGHTH PLAGUE Moshe goes to meet Pharaoh and warns him that if he does not allow the Hebrew slaves to leave, Egypt will be devastated...

Shemot 10:21, HaShem said to Moshe, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt. 22...

Based John Gottman’s: The Seven Principles for making marriage  work 1. CRITICISM vs COMPLAINT Criticism • Attacks personality or character • Uses “always / never” • Creates defensiveness Complaint...