Parshat Tag

By Rav Reuven Tradburks The Parsha begins in the middle of the story. Yosef has just told Yehuda and all the brothers that Binyamin, the thief, will become a slave to Yosef. All the others are free to leave. Our Parsha begins with Yehuda’s long and...

By Rav Reuven Tradburks Yaakov’s challenges never seem to end. He returns to the land of Israel. He is fearful of a confrontation with Esav. He prepares by dividing his entourage. A man fights him through the night, changing his name to Israel from Yaakov at...

By Rav Reuven Tradburks Our Parsha begins with Yaakov fleeing the land of Israel from Esav’s murderous intent and it concludes with his return to the land of Israel. He dreams as he leaves of a ladder reaching to Heaven with G-d promising that He will...

By Rav Reuven Tradburks Parshat Ki Teitsei The Parsha contains 74 mitzvot, the most of any parsha in our Torah. It is the third of the parshiot of Mitzvot; Ekev, Shoftim and Ki Teitsei. Moshe began his long address in Sefer Devarim with narrative, reviewing the central...

Rav Reuven Tradburks Parshat Re’eh begins a section filled with Mitzvot. In the next 3 parshiot there are 170 Mitzvot, ¼ of all the mitzvoth of the Torah. In the flow of Moshe’s speech, he is switching from a discussion of how we got to where...

Parshat Emor 1st aliya (Vayikra 21:1-15) Cohanim are not permitted to come in contact with the dead except for their nuclear family. Nor are they to adopt non Jewish mourning practices such as balding their head and beard or cutting their flesh. Cohanim need be holy...

Achrei Mot-Kedoshim 1 st aliya (Vayikra 16:1-17), 2 nd aliya (16:18-24) Aharon is instructed to enter the Holy of Holies only through an elaborate process of offerings. He is to bring a private sin offering. And a communal sin offering of 2 identical goats, one as an...

1st Aliya (Vayikra 9:1-16) On the eighth day of the inauguration of Aharon and the Cohanim, Moshe gathers the people.  He instructs Aharon to offer a chatat and an olah.  The people are also to bring a chatat, olah, shlamim and mincha.  For today, G-d...