Parshat Kedoshim: The True Meaning of TzedakahLeviticus 19:36 מֹ֧אזְנֵי צֶ֣דֶק אַבְנֵי־צֶ֗דֶק אֵ֥יפַת צֶ֛דֶק וְהִ֥ין צֶ֖דֶק יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם אֲנִי֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ You shall have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I the Lord am your God who freed you from the land of Egypt. Imagine yourself at a busy market 2000…

Parshat Acharei Mot: Starts With YouLeviticus 16:6 וְהִקְרִ֧יב אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־פַּ֥ר הַחַטָּ֖את אֲשֶׁר־ל֑וֹ וְכִפֶּ֥ר בַּעֲד֖וֹ וּבְעַ֥ד בֵּיתֽוֹ׃ Aaron is to offer his own bull of sin offering, to make expiation for himself and for his household. In the detailed Yom Kippur ceremony described in this Torah Portion, it is Aaron’s job to request forgiveness on behalf of the whole people of…

Passover: Saw you in Egypt From the Passover Haggadah בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם In each and every generation a person must view themselves as though they personally left Egypt On seder night we relive the exodus through the magic of the seder, experiencing the feeling of redemption for ourselves, imparting the memory of the exodus to the next generation. To see oneself as if they were personally taken…

“Passover days 7 and 8.”: Running TowardExodus 14:15 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מַה־תִּצְעַ֖ק אֵלָ֑י דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶל־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְיִסָּֽעוּ׃ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward! The Beginning of Passover marks the moment we left Egypt, the moment we left our lives as slaves behind. For six days we ran away,…