Do You Glow? by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The fifth of the “Ten Commandments” is to honor one’s parents. It is a mitzvah that brings to the fore an unlikely hero: Esav. The Zohar tells us that there was no one in the world who honored a parent the way Esav did. This gave him the more »
Reconciliation Walk by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The Jewish world is plunged each year into a three week season of mourning, occurring during the summer months, and preceding the High Holy Days. Concluding with Tishah B’Av, the day on which both the first and second Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed, these days are days of introspection more »
Matos-Maasei: Who is Your Rebbe? by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The Jewish people were just about at the finish line. They had already experienced the Exodus and the Revelation at Sinai, and spent forty years in the desert. Now they were ready to enter the Land of Israel. Suddenly the tribes of Gad and Reuven came more »
Bolok- The Letter-Man by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The drama of this week’s Parsha is certainly in the story of Bolok and Bilaam–how Bolok invited Bilaam to curse the Jews, but G-d switched the intended curse into a blessing. But, the Parsha also teaches us much about Bilaam as a person. Especially in giving him the more »
Glad to Notice by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine As the Jews neared the Promised Land, the inhabitants prepared to greet them in an ambush. The plan was that as the Jews passed through a certain valley, people would shoot down from the adjoining cliffs to destroy the Jews. G-d miraculously destroyed those enemies before they could more »
Korach- The Place You, Alone, Stand by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The Parsha begins, “And Korach took,” but it does not tell us what he took. Says Rashi, “He took himself,” he separated himself from the group and began to view the Jewish people from the outside with criticism, instead of remaining a member of the more »
Enjoy the Ride! by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The mitzvah of Tzitzis is to put tassels on the corners of a four-cornered garment. Once the tassels are made correctly, what is most prominent about them is the eight strands that hang from a series of knots and windings. Rashi explains that these eight strands represent the more »
Holy Potatoes by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine The Jews lived a miraculous existence in the desert. The Manna tasted like whatever they chose. Water was plentiful thanks to the great fountain of Miriam. Their clothes grew with them and remained clean naturally thanks to the clouds of glory that surrounded them. For anyone judging the situation, more »
Streets Paved with Gold by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine When the Jewish People were counted in the desert, we find that the numbers of the different tribes ranged from the thirty thousands to the seventy thousands, with one exception. The tribe of Levi had noticeably fewer people than the other tribes. Their tribe is listed at more »
Blessings of Anticipation by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine In this week’s parsha, the Torah describes the mitzvah of shemitah. We are told that the farmer is not permitted to plant, to prune, or to harvest the produce of his field. This is a tremendous demand to make of the farmer, and of a society that depended more »