Parashat Bamidbar is almost always read on the Shabbat immediately preceding Shavuot. What is the connection between this parashah and Matan Torah, the event that we celebrate on Shavuot? Parashat Bamidbar tells us how Beneh Yisrael encamped in the...
The pasuk says, “And with you shall be one man from each tribe (ish, ish l’mateh), a man who is a leader of his father’s household (rosh l’beis avosav, hu).” [Bamidbar 1:4] The Sefer Imrei Shammai has an...
As we make final preparations for Shavuos, including a fervent desire to come away from the Yom Tov with a renewed commitment to the “learning” of Torah, we need to understand a unique aspect about Torah study. In the...
An opportune time for preparation is during the sheloshes yemei hagbalah, the three days before Shavuos. Rebbe Avraham HaMalach instructed his students not to come to him during sheloshes yemei hagbalah because he needed those days to study Torah by himself. The students...
The Midrash, commenting on the opening verse of Sefer Bamidbar, observes that the Torah has been compared to three natural phenomena: fire, water and a desert. Many Rabbis raised the question of what precisely the Midrash seeks to...
Dear Rabbi and Shira, Thanks so much for your column. My family and I read it every week! Here’s my question. My husband and I agreed when we were engaged that we...
While preparing a dish for cooking, one is often unsure if he has to check the eggs for blood spots. In addition, companies receive eggs in various forms and the question arises if these eggs need to be...
After the horrific terrorist attacks of October 7, there was a sudden burst of interest in tzitzis. So many people, particularly soldiers, wanted to start wearing tzitzis that there was a severe shortage. Based on the sudden demand, the...
The Mishnah in Pirkeh Avot (4:22) teaches: Do not let your evil inclination assure you that the afterlife is your escape. For against your will you were created; against your will you live; against your will you...
