Messages from February 2018

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha Tetzaveh (Exodus 27: -30:10); Zachor (Deuteronomy 25:17-19) Fighting the Battle of Mediocrity

February 23, 2018
Exodous
Tetzaveh

In addition to the regular Torah reading this week, shuls worldwide will fulfill the mitzvah of reading about Amalek, the nation who attacked the Jewish people when they left Egypt. Some say they were the first nation to attack us after we were triumphantly liberated from 210 years of slavery but that is not entirely […]

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Teruma (Exodus 25:1-27:19) Being Part of Eternity

February 16, 2018
Exodous
Terumah

The following incident occurred in 12th century France. A person sold tin roofing materials to his neighbor. When the neighbor examined the tin sheets, he discovered a layer of pure silver under the tin coating. The seller claimed the silver was his because the buyer had only intended to purchase a tin sheet; that’s all he […]

Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Mishpatim (Exodus Exodus 21-24) Of Kings and Doctors

February 9, 2018
Exodous
Mishpatim

If men fight and one strikes his fellow with a stone or a fist…he shall pay for healing. (21:18-19). The Talmud (Berachos 60a) infers from this verse that “permission was given to a doctor to heal.” This is a difficult idea to accept; do we really need an explicit verse in the Torah to let us […]

Rabbi O’s weekly-Yitro (Exodus 18-20) People Hearing Without Listening

February 2, 2018
Exodous
Yitro

Jethro, minister of Midian, father in law of Moses, heard all that G-d had done for Moses and for Israel, His people-that G-d had taken Israel out of Egypt. The verse above is followed by others that inform us that Jethro went into the wilderness to meet Moses, whom he had not seen since Moses […]