SPRING BLOSSOMS The other day, my niece came round to visit. We proudly showed her our magnolia tree which is in full and majestic blossom. Gazing in awe at its magnificence, she asked if we would mind if she hugged the tree! Putting her arms around its gnarled wide girth, she explained that physically connecting...
LUXURIES AND NECESSITIES Why does the Torah devote so much detail to the construction of the Mishkan (the mobile Temple)? This is now the fourth consecutive Torah portion dedicated to its design and construction. Ramban (d. 1270) explains that there were actually two distinct commandments to build the Mishkan. The first came before the sin...
HEAVY LIFTING When Rachie and I were first married, we lived in Jerusalem while I was studying at the Mir Yeshiva. One day, I arrived at an apartment building to visit a friend. At the same time, a van pulled up, and the driver proceeded to unload a fridge destined for a resident on the...
THE RADIANCE OF EXCELLENCE In the latest of a series of claims extolling the virtues of olive oil consumption, an article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported benefits to brain health, reducing the risk of dementia. Olive oil makes the headlines in this week’s parasha too. It begins with the...
GOING THROUGH THE DOOR At the beginning of our parasha, a curious law is described. A Hebrew slave who has served his six-year term is entitled to go free. If he chooses to remain in servitude, however, he must have his ear pierced. After the judges confirm that this is genuinely his wish, “his master...
