The Israelites are enslaved in Egypt. Moses receives the Ten Commandments. The Israelites build a tabernacle.
We all know the story; plagues came to Egypt because Pharaoh did not listen. Before the destruction brought about by the plague of Hail, the Egyptians were given the opportunity to save their animals.Whoever among the servants of Pharaoh FEARED the word of G-d chased his servants and livestock in the houses. And whoever DID NOT PAY […]
Trust or Narcissism? After being told by G-d to return to Egypt and command Pharaoh to release the Jews, Moses says: ‘Please G-d, I am not a man of words, also not since the day before yesterday, nor since You first spoke to Your servant; for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.’ (4:10) […]
Whatever Happened to the Students of Abraham and Sara? In this week’s Parsha we are introduced to the first patriarch of the Jewish people, Abraham. G-d tells him to leave his father’s house, his relatives and his homeland. So Abram went as G-d had spoken to him and Lot went with him; Abram was 75 […]
Lessons from Dunkin DonutsAnd they brought the Mishkan (Tabernacle) to Moses…When all the parts of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) had been made, they were brought to Moses, who actually stood the walls up and erected the Mishkan. Rashi quoting the Midrash explains that due to the massive weight of the materials, none of the people were able to raise it up, so they brought […]
A Great Winter Experience for Wealthy People After being liberated from Egypt and witnessing the Sinai experience, the Jews build a Golden Calf. Volumes have been written on this subject but we will discuss one seemingly small part of the story. Now it came to pass when he (Moses) drew closer to the camp and saw the […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha : Tetzaveh(Exodus 27:20-30:10) Diamond in the Rough You shall place both stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, remembrance stones for the Children of Israel. (Exodus 28:12) Moses was commanded to make garments for the Cohen Gadol—‘high priest.’ Included in these was a piece of clothing similar to an apron called the ephod. It […]
This week’s Parsha gives instructions for building the Mishkan (Tabernacle), a portable synagogue designated as the place where the Almighty’s Presence would rest. They took it with them throughout their 40 year stay in the desert and rebuilt it in four different locations in the Land of Israel. The Jews fought many wars to take hold of […]
Linguists are at a loss to find an origin for the word bribe. It is first used in 14th century old French but it means “steal.” By mid-15th century its meaning had shifted to “gift given to influence corruptly.” No one knows where “bribe” came from or how it ultimately came to have the meaning we use today. […]
The first sentence in this week’s Parsha begins, “And Jethro, the priest of Midyan, THE FATHER-IN-LAW OF MOSES, heard…” The Torah explains that Yitro heard of the miraculous events surrounding the Exodus and the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Yitro, therefore, traveled to join the Jews and converted to Judaism.Several weeks ago, when we […]
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, being that Joseph had the Children of Israel swear to bring his bones out of Egypt with them saying, “G-d will surely remember you and you will bring up my bones from here with you. (Exodus 13:19) The Jews were about to leave Egypt and were busying themselves […]
Looking for a great topic for discussion at your Passover Seder? Consider a story that’s a staple in every Hebrew school. The people put blood from the Pascal Lamb on their doorposts so their homes would be spared from the plague of the firstborn.And I shall pass through Egypt on this night, and I shall […]
How to Deal with an Unmanageable Life The Parsha begins with the Almighty telling Moses that He is the same G-d Who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He has heard the cries of His persecuted nation and is aware of His covenant with them. Therefore say to the Children of Israel, “I am […]
Imagine a U.S. army General telling a soldier on kitchen duty he would like to speak with him after dinner about an important covert mission. Would this soldier need permission from his Sergeant? Whether it is the head football coach changing a play or a CEO overruling a district manager, all understand that no permission […]
Unlocking Your Potential without Destroying It[The following idea is from a classic 19th century Chassidic work called Mei HaShiloach (Living Waters) addressing one of life’s great challenges: On one hand we need to realize our significance and that we were created for a unique purpose but at the same time we should realize that our accomplishments ultimately come […]
Smiles are a way of gaining people’s trust. When we meet someone and they have a smile on their face, we are much more likely to trust them than if they have a stern face or some other appearance. The obvious question is, we all know that it is easy to fake a smile; how […]
John T. Molloy wrote the highly popular Dress for Success over45 years ago and its message still resonates. Here is an excerpt from a review written by someone who read it decades ago.“I read Dress for Success when I was a skinny, baby faced teenager. I was so impressed by the book’s research and conclusions that I […]
The information age has placed a particular emphasis on data. Whatever question we have, we expect that someone already answered our question and posted it online. If we want to know a particular statistic, we expect that it exists and all we need is a google search to find it. A recent article discusses how this trend […]
Imagine a couple standing under the chuppah googly-eyed and in love. The rabbi speaks about the beauty of marriage and the significance of the day. Then, all of a sudden, the bride starts listing her set of rules for the marriage. “Make sure to close the toothpaste, keep the toilet seat down, take out the garbage, pay […]
Last year The Wall Street Journal had an article about a new way companies are reaching their customers: email (The Hot New Channel for Reaching Real People: Email). Yes, the medium that many deem as archaic and on its way out, is actually making a comeback for certain purposes. In fact, recent studies have shown that money […]
Manna makes its first appearance in this week’s Parsha. It is more a concept than a food; it’s actually an ideology. The modern thinker finds it difficult to accept that millions of people were fed each day with food descending from heaven.We look at manna as a miracle because it came in a way that didn’t use […]
Why did it take two years from the beginning of the Civil War for the Union to accept African Americans for full service? Racism still existed but they were able to set it aside for the bigger purpose of defeating the South. By the end of the war, even the South accepted slaves for service […]
The sinking of the Titanic on her maiden voyage was a great nautical catastrophe but the real tragedy is that it could have been avoided. Many mistakes were made but one of the most foolish was that the ship’s radio operators received 21 warnings of ice, all of which were ignored. The Titanic serves a metaphor for Pharaoh, the […]
Imagine a soldier in the U.S. army on kitchen duty who was told by a General to speak with him after dinner about an important covert mission. Would this soldier need permission from his Sergeant? Whether it is the head football coach changing a play or a CEO overruling a district manager, all understand that […]
The first Jewish fundraising initiative is found in this week’s Torah portion. Moses said to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel saying: This is the word that G-d commanded saying: Take from yourselves a portion for G-d…everyone who is generous of heart shall bring it… (Exodus 35:4-5) When they started bringing contributions to […]
We encounter one of the seminal events in the history of the Jewish people in this week’s Parsha. After being liberated from the Egyptian bondage and being present for the Sinai experience, the Jews build a Golden Calf. Volumes have been written on this subject but we will discuss one seemingly small part of the […]
During the Revolutionary War, the colonists wore camouflage to ambush the British but the British soldiers were easily spotted due to their bright red uniforms. So, too, with French soldiers at the beginning of WW I. The French army was wearing the stylish red pants and blue coats that had been their uniform for centuries. […]
I had intended on writing about a different subject but a profound experience Wednesday morning has led my mind in a different direction. We are in Pittsburgh because my close friend and colleague Rabbi Alisar Admon is being honored at a dinner this evening. I can’t remember the last time I went to an institutional […]
Linguists are at a loss to find an origin for the word “bribe.” It is first used in 14th century old French but it means “steal.” By mid-15th century its meaning had shifted to “gift given to influence corruptly.” No one knows where “bribe” came from or how it ultimately came to have the meaning we use […]
The first sentence in this week’s Parsha begins, “And Yitro (Jethro), the priest of Midyan, THE FATHER IN LAW OF MOSES, heard…” The Torah explains that Yitro heard of the miraculous events surrounding the Exodus and the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Yitro, therefore, traveled to join the encampment of the Jews, and as […]
One of the miracles of the 20th century was the Jewish people taking control of their ancestral land when they won the Independence War in 1948. Part of the miracle was that a large segment of the army was composed of Holocaust survivors; WWII had just ended three years earlier. When looking at pictures of the […]
