The opening verses of Parashat Pekudeh present an accounting of the precious metals that Beneh Yisrael donated for the construction of the Mishkan. The Torah introduces this section by saying, “Eleh Fekudeh Mishkan, Mishkan Ha’edut” – “These are the calculations...
This Shabbos, we read Parshas Pikudei, completing the second book of the Torah, Sefer Shemos. The final pasuk of the parsha tells us of the anan, the Divine cloud that hovered over the Mishkan. When...
The Long Journey The drama was almost complete. The people exiled in a foreign country for more than two centuries, and for much of that time in unbearable conditions, experienced a miraculous liberation through direct and manifested intervention by...
Adriana Fernandez had a unique path to social media fame. For years, her almost-90,0000 followers online have enjoyed her posts, pictures, and videos reflecting her insights and experiences as a...
One who leaves his home for the days of Passover may sell his house, including all its contents to a non-Jew in the Mechirat Chametz, thus being exempt from cleaning the house and checking for chametz on the...
Parashat Vayakhel begins with Moshe Rabbenu assembling Beneh Yisrael to convey to them the commands for the building of the Mishkan. But before speaking about the Mishkan, Moshe first told the people that they must observe Shabbat each...
Why Didn’t the Mishkan Have a Spare Parts Warehouse? The Torah says that after Moshe told the people to donate to the Mishkan, the voluntary donations surpassed the amount of material required. Moshe Rabbeinu had to tell them to...
Once again, we are beginning to engage in the gigantic task of cleaning our homes of chometz, of leaven, searching in earnest every nook and cranny of our possessions for those forbidden crumbs! It behooves us to understand...
It is known that we must have hakaras hatov. When someone does you a favor, you must feel indebted to him, seek to help him, and certainly never harm him. We are even obligated to have hakaras hatov towards...
Why is mechirat chametz for a supermarket that continues to sell chametz during Pesach a valid sale? It isn’t. The regular mechiras chometz that you and I do does not work for a Jewish...