“Why Purim”
Amalek attacked the Jewish people shortly after they left Egypt. At that point the B’nei Yisrael had not yet established themselves in the world in any way. Their only recent interaction with another nation had been as slaves. They had…
Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt
We read the famous passage about erasing the name of Amalek. Amalek are a nation who despise the Jews with endless hate and there are even mitsvot related to erasing their name. But what is it that singles out Amalek…
The Secret Small Aleph
There is a story of a US Naval ship travelling on a stormy winter night off the coast of Newfoundland; The captain on the deck notices a dim green blip that suddenly appears on the radar screen. Radioing into the…
Parasha Insights
Imagine if you were to introduce someone to the concept of Mitzvot for the first time. Would you tell them about a Mitzvah that has no reasoning or understanding, or rather tell them about the beauty of Shabbat or the…
The Choice is ours
The story is told about a man that didn’t believe in free will. After 120 years he went up to heaven and was met with two paths in front of him. The first had a sign saying “Believers in predestination”…
Parasha insights
“Tell the Kohanim descendants of Aharon, and you shall say to them, he may not defile himself in contact with a deceased amongst his people” (21:1). Our Parsha opens up with the laws that apply exclusively to the Kohen, due…
