Moses died alone on a mountain with G-d, just as he had been alone with G-d years earlier when he caught sight of a bush in flames and heard the call that changed his life and the moral horizons of the world.There’s no drama related to Moses’ death. There are neither crowds nor weeping. It […]
Look at a list of NBA champions and you’ll see that basketball’s history has been dominated by elite, very tall, Centers. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain dominated the ’60s. They were followed by Kareem in the ’70s and ’80s, Hakeem Olajuwon in the ’90s, and Shaquille O’Neal in the 2000s. But that’s no longer the case. […]
Shortly before Moses died, he wrote a text of the Torah and gave the scroll to his (Levi) tribe (Deut. 31:9). Although Torah scrolls have been preserved over the generations, they have also been disgraced by our enemies. Here is one example. For many years during the Roman occupation of Israel, it was forbidden to publicly […]
Behold, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil…(Deut. 30:15) Doing good is a choice, but it is not limited to acts of beneficence, it also means that you see the good in your life, health, family, friendships, sustenance and so many other blessings that many people overlook. We choose whether […]
In the past, Jewish farmers would bring their harvest’s first fruits to Jerusalem. They would travel together with other farmers led by oxen whose horns had been coated in gold adorned with olive branches placed on their heads, and flutes musically accompanied the procession; they would travel for only two-thirds of the day, which allowed […]
Name a mitzvah that most people never do. Clue: It has to do with birds. When you find the nest of a kosher bird, you take the eggs but send the mother away first. Although the Torah almost never mentions the reward for any given mitzvah, here is one notable exception, and the reward is […]
When the Jewish people would come into the Land is Israel, they are told not to engage in one of the most common activities of the gentile nations of the time—witchcraft.Whoever does these things is an abomination to G-d…Walk with a pure heart with HaShem, your G-d. (Deut. 18: 12-13)Although we don’t find too many Jews today […]
The tragic recent death of a community member dear to us all has been a source of pain for our community. We mourn with Marty’s family and due to a number of people asking for the notes of the Rabbi’s eulogy, we have included it after the weekly dvar Torah. Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Re’eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17) […]
When playing basketball, you better be aware of the coach’s existence because it affects the way you conduct yourself at practice and at the game—even off season. If you get involved in an activity the coach frowns upon, it might jeopardize your chance of being successful on the team. The same is true of being […]
For which is a great nation that has a G-d Who is close to it, as is our G-d in all our calling to Him (Deut. 4:7).Is prayer only for big things? No, it’s for everything. The Talmud (Brachot 5b) relates the following incident. Rav Huna had 400 barrels of wine that spoiled. His colleagues told him to […]
The Parsha contains Moses’ parting words said during the last five weeks of his life and begins with giving rebuke to the nation.The Jews of that generation made a number of poor choices, decisions that affected their future as well as the future of all Jews succeeding them. Moses’ approach was not to reprimand explicitly, […]
You shall designate cities for yourselves, cities of refuge shall they be for you, and a murderer shall flee there—one who takes a life unintentionally. (Numbers 35:11) Involuntary manslaughter is something we take seriously. If an axe head becomes dislodged and kills an innocent bystander, the chopper/killer must quickly escape to one of the three cities of refuge […]
These days, we all find ourselves living in a new and different world. It was just this past Purim that we sat together in shul, next to one another, listening to the reading of the Megilla and sat in close physical proximity to our friends, and the phrase “social distancing” was not part of our vocabulary. We felt secure […]
Does Education Make You a Moral Person? The past century, the bloodiest in all of human history, should have lain to rest two of the most cherished theories about humanity postulated by the Enlightenment and Secular Humanism. One was the idea that all moral questions, all issues of right and wrong, good and evil, were […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Chukas (Numbers 19:1-22:1) How to Become a Peacemaker in 2 Easy Steps And the entire congregation saw that Aaron had died and they wept for Aaron 30 days–all the house of Israel. (20:29) “ALL the house of Israel” refers to both men and woman. When Moses dies the verse doesn’t mention “all the house of Israel,” […]
We are introduced to the mitzvah of tzitzis (strings attached to a four cornered garment) at the end of this week’s Parsha. The following remarkable incident occurred in the 3rd century and is recorded in the Talmud (Menachot 44a).Once a man, who was very scrupulous about the mitzva of tzitzis, heard about a prostitute who charged four hundred gold dinars for her […]
At this point in the Exodus story, things seem to be going well. After being enslaved for 210 years, the Jews had miraculously been freed and were now living in the desert and receiving protection, food, and water in a miraculous way. Sounds good, right? Let’s see.And the people complained and it was evil in […]
Last week’s Parsha described the census that was taken of the tribe of Levi, starting with those 1 month and older. This week’s Parsha continues with another census of the members of the tribe of Levi, this one only of males between the ages of 30-50. In both counting’s, we find a surprisingly low number: […]
When the cycle for the weekly Torah readings was established centuries ago, this week’s Parsha was designated specifically to be read this Shabbos. I.e. the reading is from the first few chapters of the Torah’s fourth book, Numbers, and always precedes the holiday of Shavuot. What connection is there between this week’s Parsha and Shavuot, the festival commemorating the […]
Two core themes of this week’s Parsha are the Jewish nation’s reward for remaining committed to their mission and also the curses that will befall them if they don’t. Every few centuries Jewish history repeats itself. It goes something like this: We are given freedom in a country or region and we prosper. We set […]
Imagine a woman getting promoted to management and being given a personal assistant. One day an old friend visits the office and the recently promoted manager wants to indicate her new status, and the power it wields. She calls in her assistant and asks her to bring a cup of coffee. When the assistant leaves […]
A great deal of this week’s Parsha deals with matters pertaining to Kohanim, the decedents of Aaron. “Priests” is usually the English translation but there’s no appropriate terminology to describe this unique group of people whose task it is to perform the service in Jerusalem’s ancient Temple as well as being teachers for the Jewish people. […]
The Talmud mentions an incident involving a gentile who came before the sage Hillel and said, Convert me to Judaism on the condition that you will teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot. Hillel told him: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the entire […]
The main topic addressed in this week’s Parsha is a condition called tzarat. Although it is generally translated as “leprosy,” other than the fact that it is a painful skin ailment, its exact nature is unknown to us and has not existed for thousands of years. It was not an airborne virus and it is the only […]
[From tonight until after Shabbat we observe the final two days of Passover, a time commemorating the Splitting of the Sea.] Recently, a crew of four private citizens traveled to the International Space Station. Three of them, including one Israeli, each paid $55 million to go on this trip. The fourth, Former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría […]
Most Jews have been attending a Passover Seder as long as they can remember and therefore it’s a challenge to view it anew as an adult, with an educated and mature mind. The complaint against the wicked son is that he removes himself from being a part of the Jewish people. That’s true, but it […]
Creating PossibilitiesThis week’s Parsha continues discussing the harmful effects of lashon hara, senseless negative speech. Many people don’t take speech seriously, speaking about others without regard for their feelings or the potential damage it can cause. King Solomon wrote, Life and death are in the hands of the tongue. One explanation is that negative talk has the ability to […]
The main topic addressed in this week’s Parsha is a condition called tzarat. Although it is generally translated as “leprosy,” other than the fact that it is a painful skin ailment, its exact nature is unknown to us and has not existed for thousands of years. It was not an airborne virus and it is the only […]
This week’s Parsha ends with a detailed discussion concerning the specifics for determining whether a fish, animal, or even insect is kosher. The exact names of the kosher birds are listed and in addition we are taught what characteristics a bird requires to be fit for Jewish consumption. Birds of prey are not kosher. What […]
Dear All,Due to Rabbi Oppenheim sitting Shiva, he has not written his weekly dvar Torah. Therefore, I have chosen one from the past that hopefully will provide food for thought. Sara Many productivity experts recommend a daily routine at the start of the day. They posit that the first few minutes of your day are […]