Even those with only a passing knowledge of the Five Books of Moses recognize the death penalty applied to various sins. The Oral Torah, committed to writing centuries later, explains the procedural limitations to these penalties. However there...
Parashat Vaera begins in the middle of a difficult exchange between Hashem and Moshe Rabbenu. To briefly review, Hashem had sent Moshe to come before Pharaoh and demand that he release Beneh Yisrael. Moshe did as he was...
INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup olive oil 3 yellow onions, thinly sliced 2 tsp crushed garlic cloves 1 tbsp fresh thyme 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 tbsp all purpose flour 2 cups beef broth (or vegetable broth) I use...
There is a direct link between the beginning of Parshas Vaera and the end of Parshas Shemos. At the end of Shemos, Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon finally appear in front of Pharaoh. They present Hashem’s demand “Send out My...
In this week’s parsha, the Torah sometimes says, “Moshe and Aharon,” and other times it says, “Aharon and Moshe,” putting Aharon first. Rashi explains that the switch is to convey that in Hashem’s Mind, both were of equal stature....
A wife told her husband, “Our wall isn’t soundproof, and our neighbors hear our conversations. We don’t have privacy. We need a new wall.” The husband replied, “There is nothing to worry about. The wall is soundproof. No one...
Before beginning the story of the ten plagues which G-d brought upon Egypt, it presents the genealogy of the first three tribes of Israel – Reuben, Shimon and Levi. Rashi (6:14) explains that the Torah wanted to tell...
There is a mitzvah to light neiros on Erev Shabbos in honor of the holy Shabbos. Some poskim maintain the obligation is d’orasia, however, most poskim say it is a d’rabbanan. The Gemorah in Shabbos states, “if one is rugel...
Today we access Torah texts in many more ways than in the past. Of course, we primarily use printed texts (sefer, sefarim) in our learning. But very often we also access texts and write our own notes...