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Feb 16, 2019, 9:59 AM

Gematria, Merkabah and the Birth of the Alephbet!

Wadi el-Hol inscriptions no° II, reproduction of Proto-Canaanite inscription.

Welcome to my blog on gematria, the merkabah and the birth of the alephbet. It’s the last topic in particular, and how it connects with gematria and the merkabah that I’d like to draw your attention to today. The last...

Feb 16, 2019, 9:54 AM

This week the Torah reading is the only weekly reading in all Five Books of Moses where (after Moses' birth) his name does not appear at all in the week's entire reading! Ironically, it is also the Torah reading...

Yitzchak Ginsburgh

Feb 15, 2019, 9:37 AM

Secrets of the Final Redemption

Introduction: Creating Messianic Reality Our generation is almost unanimously considered the generation of the redemption. The tumultuous events of the recent past are largely recognized as the footsteps of the Mashiach, heralding that the true and complete redemption is literally...

Alexander I. Poltorak

Feb 15, 2019, 7:27 AM

Sacrifices and Incenses – Fields and Entanglement

At the end of the weekly portion, Tetzaveh, Torah speaks of the burnt offerings (Heb. qorbanot) and the incense offerings (Heb. qetoret). The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, contrasts these two types of offerings by highlighting their symbolism. The...

Feb 15, 2019, 7:25 AM

Bitul Torah: The Spiritual Need to Stop Learning

The most disruptive word in the entire English language is merely six letters, yet the toxic slew of feelings that accompany the emotional confinement that is the word should, render its effect thousands of miles long. We’ve all been...

Miriam Leah Epstein Preil

Feb 15, 2019, 4:18 AM

The Kotel (courtesy)

On February 11, 2013, Rosh Chodesh Adar 5773, I BELIEVE poured from my heart, with HaShem's help. Today, years later in February 2019, it's Adar Aleph 5779, and still I hold firm and my heart cries out: ...

Shmuel Reichman

Feb 15, 2019, 4:16 AM

If you were given $86,400 every day… (Parshas Tetzaveh)

If You Were Given $86,400 Every Day.... An Inspirational Torah Video by Shmuel Reichman Inspiration: Think-Feel-Grow
Posted by Shmuel Reichman on Thursday, 14 February 2019

Imagine you wake up with $86,400 in your bank account. You can't invest or save it, only spend it, and at the end of the night, whatever you didn't spend disappears. Now imagine if this happened every single day....

Sharona Margolin Halickman

Feb 15, 2019, 12:38 AM

The Biblical Taylors

In Parshat Tetzave, there are almost 40 verses that deal with the clothing of the Kohen. As we read through the articles of clothing that are mentioned (Shmot 28:4), a few words jump out at us: “These are the...

Ziona Greenwald

Feb 15, 2019, 12:36 AM

Love Is Beautiful, But…

Can someone please tell me why Valentine’s Day is such a big deal here in Israel? Why the day is even celebrated at all? My first year here, when I saw the hearts dangling around the mall, the red balloons...

Joseph C. Kaplan

Feb 14, 2019, 10:36 PM

We can agree to disagree about women rabbis

Left to right, Rabbi Nathaniel (Nati) Helfgot, Marianne Novak and Rabbi Kenny Schiowitz. (courtesy of the Jewish Standard, via JTA)

Teaneck has many synagogues; it's easy to find at least one you don't go to, without dividing the community

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