It is well-known that Hashem is never mentioned explicitly in Megilat Ester. The omission of His Name is by design, as the story told in the Megilah appears to unfold randomly, with the events occurring coincidentally, as though...
The last pasuk in the Megillah reads “For Mordechai, the Yehudi, was viceroy to King Achashveirosh; he was a great man among the Jews, and found favor with the multitude of his brothers (ratzui l’rov echav); he sought the...
My veteran readers will remember that sometimes I imagine a simulated, fictional interview with the Yeitzer Hara to give us an inner look into the machinations of the one whose mission it is to cause us to sin....
One year, Reb Yeiva of Ostra’a wanted to be happy on Purim, but it was hard for him as he was struggling financially. A happy person arrived, they celebrated Purim together, and Reb Yeiva became joyful. Reb Yeiva said that this person...
Introduction The Shulchan Aruch (OC 282:3) rules according to the opinion that a katan – a child who is under the age of bar mitzvah – is permitted to receive an aliyah and to read from the Torah....
What can the light of the menorah teach us about avoiding “burnout”? Parshas Tetzaveh opens with the mitzvah to light the menorah in the Mikdash, which must be done “tamid” (Shemos 27:20), a word typically translated as “constantly.”...
HARVEY WALLBANGER CAKE INGREDIENTS: Cake: 1 Box yellow cake mix 1 cup vegetable oil 4 large eggs 1/4 cup amaretto liqueur 1/4 cup vodka 1 package vanilla instant pudding mix 3/4 cup fresh orange juice Glaze: 1 cup confectioners sugar (sifted) 1 tablespoon...
The Midrash (Ester Rabba 7:13) draws a connection between the Purim story and the story of Mechirat Yosef – the sale of Yosef as a slave by his brothers. After the brothers cast Yosef into a pit,...
In this week’s parsha, Tetzaveh, we learn of the special garments worn by the Kohein Gadol, and the Kohanim. Elaborate clothes worn while they did their avoda, sacred work in the Mishkan, and in...
Money Two Jews, Yankel and Shmerel, were walking past a church. A sign on the church read “$20,000 to all who convert today!” Both were out of work and had been for quite some time. Shmerel said, “Yankel, I’m going...