Rayanot

I must admit that there is great irony in using the internet as a platform to debate the “dangers” of the internet, nevertheless here I go. Four years ago, in 2012, there was the famous "internet Asifa" or “ internet convention ”, where esteemed Rabbis of ultra orthodox communities publicly raised the alarm on the dangers of the internet and fell just short of banning it outright. They strongly condemned it and characterized it as the biggest threat to Orthodox Judaism in our time. Some even went as far as classifying it as the biggest danger to ever face our religion in the entirety history. It doesn’t take a genius to see the “dangers” of internet. Whether it be the addictiveness of social media, the immorality and immodest content so easily accessible or the forums and blogs where heretical material is discussed, it’s easy to see why this is alarming to so many people. This sentiment is shared by many of my co-religionists and seems to be the mainstream attitude in ...

The sin of the golden calf is one of the lowest points in the history of our nation. The Jews then committed three sins that are considered by Jewish law to be the most serious of offenses: idol worship, adultery and murder.  Exodus 32: 6, “On the next day they arose early, offered up burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and they got up to make merry.” Rashi comments on the words - “to make merry”: “ In this, there is [also] a connotation of sexual immorality and bloodshed… (Midrash Tanchuma 20).” Where was the Jewish leadership at the time? Where were the leaders whose responsibility it was to keep their people on the straight and narrow path?  Granted it happened in the absence of Moses, as he was on the mountain receiving the Torah from G-d. But surely there were other elders and leaders who could’ve done something to prevent the sin, where were they? At the end of Parshat Mishpatim, we find that Mos...

In Parshas Vayishlach we read of the shocking and brutal kidnapping and rape of Dinah – daughter of ya’akov, by Shchem – son of Chamor. The response by Dinah’s brothers (particularly Shimon and Levi) was fierce and convincing. They proceeded to trick the males of the city into circumcising themselves and then attacked and killed out the entire city. It is not the purpose of this essay to explore whether or not their actions were justified; this has already been dealt with at length by many notable commentators. What I do wish to explore here is their emotional reaction to their sister’ rape, which I believe was not only justified but actually reflects on their greatness of character. A person’s actions are highly reflective of the way they feel “inside”. If Shimon and Levi were driven to such drastic and fierce actions, one can only imagine the type of disgust, rage and disdain they felt at what had just transpired. They were affected so deeply by what Shchem did to their ...

Our Parsha begins: “And G-d spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai saying.” The Torah then goes on to enumerate in great detail all of the laws of shemittah and Yovel. The sages comment on this juxtaposition of Mount Sinai to shemiitah, that just as shemittah was taught to Moses on Mount Sinai with all of its details, so too all the other Mitzvot were taught to Moses on Mount Sinai with all their details. The name of the parsha therefore is Behar (Sinai) for 2 reasons: A. It is the first word of the parsha (after “and G-d spoke”) B. All the Mitzvot (in the parsha) were taught on Mount Sinai. There is a well known Midrash regarding why G-d chose Mount Sinai over all the many other mountains, upon which to give us the Torah. Mount Sinai was the lowest of all the mountains and so G-d chose it to teach us a lesson in humility. If you want to be a vessel for the Torah you must feel yourself to be lowly and humble. This however begs the question: If G-d wants to teach us a lesson in humili...

Parshat Teztaveh begins with a discussion about the preparing and kindling of the Menorah. It then moves on to describing the different priestly garments worn by the Kohanim while serving in the temple and concludes with the construction of the incense altar and the laws of the daily incense offerings. What is the connection between these three ideas? What is the common thread that ties them together into one Parsha? Find out at: http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2866811/jewish/Light-Clothing-and-Incense.htm