I would like to share a Medrash in Shemos Rabbah that does not refer directly to a verse in Parshas B’Shalach, but rather refers to a pasuk in Psalms regarding an incident in Parshas B’Shalach: “Our fathers in...
Last week, we started discussing the fundamental attribute of middah k’neged middah, measure for measure; how Hashem punishes and rewards to exactly match a person’s own behavior. We cited the Rambam who says that this is a thread that...
The Chofetz Chaim asks: Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu split the sea only after Bnei Yisrael entered it? This is a lesson for all generations: A person must do hishtadlus; he must jump into the sea. He mustn’t be idle....
If a kitchen has only one sink, what halachic considerations apply regarding milk and meat? There are several important considerations. Residue from milchig and fleishig utensils can mix in the sink, potentially creating...
See that Hashem has given you the Shabbos; therefore, He gave you two days’ worth of bread on the sixth day. Shemos 16:29 The Source The Gemara in Pesachim (100b) teaches that one should not bring bread out to...
How can surrender lead to victory? During the war against Amalek, Bnei Yisrael prevailed only as long as Moshe’s hands remained raised; when his hands fell, the Jews began to falter (Shemos 17:11). How strange that winning...
Rabbi Haim Palachi (Turkey, 1788-1869), in his work Mo’ed Le’kol Hai (chapter 30), discusses a number of different laws and customs relevant to the month of Shevat. He begins by establishing that the theme of this month is...
“The human being is a tree of the field,” the Torah states. In fact, the Jewish calendar reserves one day each year, the “New Year for Trees” on the 15th of Shevat, for us to contemplate our affinity...
This week, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took out a full page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal titled, “To Those I’ve Hurt.” In it, he addressed years of publicly documented antisemitic remarks and behavior, admitted that his untreated...
