Meaningful Ideas on the Parsha @ParshaMeaning

Esther Greitzer was taken to Auschwitz as a child and subjected to horrific medical experiments that left her unable to have children. After the Holocaust, she married and lived to the age of 95. Esther passed away last night - on #HolocaustMemorialDay - and a call was put out…

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This is Isla Ansbecher, age 93.5 When she was 15, she was alone in the world standing barefoot at the open gate of Bergen-Belsen with no place to go. Here she is holding her granddaughter's granddaughter. This is what we mean when we say “Am Yisrael Chai” aw…

לא נשכח ולא נסלח

Achrei Mos - Not to Critique To The Master The Kohen Gadol only wears white in the Kodesh Kedoshim and not gold, so as not to invoke the memory of the Chet Haegel. So why does he wear gold during the rest of the Yom Kippur service? Differences in how to speak to our fellow Jews,…

Alma (13) and Noam (17) Or who were held hostage by Hamas on October 7 and released in November are orphans. Their mother Yonat was murdered on October 7 and their father Dror who was kidnapped has been confirmed as murdered. His body is being held in Gaza. No words 💔

Pesach and Metzora - Feeling the Hashgacha The Seder is one of the foundational elements of building and conveying our Emunah. The more we feel the world is custom made for us, and that what Hashem does to us is personally crafted, the more we can give over that approach to…

Tazria - The Metzora's Desperate Plea Chazal say one of the reasons the Metzora goes around calling out that he is Tamei is so others should daven for him. The Chofetz Chaim explores how this is not simply because he needs help healing but also because it helps heal him from…

Shemini - It's Because of Me When they inaugurated the Mishkan and did the Avodah on the eighth day, initially the Shechina did not descend upon the Mishkan. Rashi says Aharon Hakohen immediately put the blame upon himself, that Hashem must be upset with Him. Some lessons in…

Tzav - Sensitivity To Another's Shame The Torah says the Chatas is shechted in the same place as the Olah. Chazal explain it's to protect the sinner, that it shouldn't be clear to all that he is bringing a Chatas. Some lessons in how sensitive we have to be about potentially…

Vayikra - The Yesod of Karbanos Why do we bring Karbanos, and what we can learn from them? Why are they one of the three pillars of the world, what can they teach us? Rabbeinu Bechayai and the Chinuch connect it to Kaparah and how it can bring us to Teshuva. The Rosh connects it…

A Vort for Purim An idea I came up with this year about what we learned from Purim about the way Hashem runs the world in times of concealment. How did Haman convince all the nations to agree to kill the Jews? Why did Purim lead to a new reacceptance of the Torah? Understanding…

Pikudei - Building It To Last The Seforno explores four components involved in the construction of the Mishkan that ensured it would last eternally. Some thoughts on the importance if doing things right, and how it affects the holiness and long term impact of the mitzvos we do.…

Vayakhel - The Hashraas Hashechina of Shabbos Moshe assembled all the people and taught them about Shabbos and about donating to and building the Mishkan. Why were the instructions about the Mishkan preceded by instructing us about Shabbos? What is the connection between the…

Ki Sisah - The Double Edged Sword of Wealth Chazal say that Moshe and the Avos were blessed with tremendous wealth, yet they also teach us about the dangers of excess wealth and how it helped lead to the downfall of Korach and Haman and helped bring about the Chet Haegel. Is…

9-year-old Tal Almog saw his father and older sister shot before being taken hostage on October 7. He spent 51 days in the hands of Hamas. Tal tells his story. 📹 @newsisrael13

Terumah - Connecting to the Cedar Trees Chazal tell us the cedar trees they used to build the Mishkan were originally planted by Avraham Avinu, and transplanted to Mitzrayim by Yaakov Avinu. Why did we need wood that connected us to the Avos, and what can it teach us about…

Amazing

The IDF publishes the casualty data - the dead and wounded from the beginning of the war until now (02/12/2024):* From the beginning of the war (on 7.10) - 566 From the beginning of the ground maneuver (on 27.10) - 229 *Current situation of hospitalized soldiers:* In a…

Rav Shay Schachter is at Tel Hashomer Hospital, reciting gomel with the two freed hostages. Following a psak from Rav Shachter, the bracha was recited with a remote minyan- talmidim of Rav Aryeh Leibowitz across the globe in Washington Heights, souls connected in gratitude.

Mishpatim - Wisdom in Mishpatei Hezek Someone broke into a car, found a passed out child in the back and saved their life. Someone else crashed into a car, caused the other party to miss their flight, which ended up crashing into the sea. Is the Mazik obligated to pay in those…