The Desert This week’s Torah portion, named “Bamidbar,” which means “in the desert,” is always read preceding the holiday of Shavuos, when we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Sinai, more than 3,300 years ago, in the year...
In Rabbinic literature, the book of Bamidbar is referred to as the book of censuses (Sefer haPekudim), which is no doubt roughly equivalent to the common English name for the book – the Book of Numbers. In this week’s...
The Torah in Parashat Bamidbar briefly recounts the death of Nadab and Abihu, Aharon’s two older sons: “Nadab and Abihu died before G-d...
The upcoming holiday of Shavuot, the celebration of our receiving the Torah, along with the name of the book we are now beginning – “Bamidar” (“in the desert”) – gives us an opportunity to reflect on the...
NUTELLA CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS: Crust: 250 g (about 30 oreo cookies), cream removed 6 tbsp (80 g) unsalted butter, melted Cream Cheese Filling: 3 5 oz (1 kg) cream cheese, room temp. 3/4 cup (175g) heavy cream + 2 tbsp, cold 2/3 cup (100g) Nutella 1 cup (200g) sugar 1 tbsp cornstarch 2...
This Shabbos we begin the fourth of the five books of the Torah, Sefer Bamidbar. Bamidbar means in the desert, in the wilderness. It tells the story of our nation’s forty year trek through...
One of the special features of the wonderful Yom Tov of Shavuos is the reading of Megilas Rus. While it is a fascinating and delightful story, its linkage to the celebration of matan Torah, the giving of the...
Is one allowed to eat meat after milk? What is the halacha if one makes Kiddush and eats dairy foods, planning to later eat a meat Seudas Yom Tov? What if one par- takes of a dairy Yom...
Dear Rabbi and Shira, I don’t know what to do. My younger sister is engaged to one of the first guys she dated and honestly, I’m jealous. We are three years...
Reb Shmuel Salant zt’l would often repeat the following story: There were two brothers, one was a wealthy businessman, and the other was a scholarly but poor talmid chacham. The businessman would periodically give money to his brother so that he could...