• Light in the Darkness

    This week’s Torah portion, Beha’alotcha, opens with the command that the Kohen light the menorah in the tabernacle. This command seems out of place here. It follows the account of the gifts brought by the heads of each tribe for the dedication of the altar and precedes the discussion of the sanctification of the Levites.…

  • Leaving Sinai and Taking Sinai

    In this week’s Torah portion Beha’alotcha, there are two verses (Vayihi Binsoah Ha’aron) which are bracketed by an upside down letter nun before and after:  “When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say: “Advance, O God, May Your enemies be scattered, And may Your foes flee before You!” And when it (the ark)…

  • Learning from the Sins of the Complainers and Spies

    In this week’s parshat, Beha’alotcha, the Torah tells us that the Jewish people brought an offering on their first Passover in the desert, which was exactly one year after leaving Egypt: the 15th of Nisan. Strangely, though, nine chapters earlier the book of Bamidbar began in the second month – Iyar. So why now is…

  • The Dual Call of Leadership

    In this week’s Torah portion, B’ha’aloticha, the Levites are designated to replace the first born as those who will serve in the Tabernacle, as the Torah states:  “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them.  This is what you shall do to them to purify them: sprinkle  the water of purification on them,…

  • The Power of Gratitude: Moses’ Response to Complaints

     In this week’s Torah portion, Be’halot’cha, the Torah writes:“Those traveling with the Jewish people (in the desert) had a desire, and the Jewish people also cried out and said, Who will feed us meat?  We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for free and now our souls are dry because all we have is…

  • Overcoming the Yetzer Hara: A Pathway to Divine Connection

    In this week’s parsha, Be’halot’cha, we find two verses which are considered by many commentaries to be a separate book of the Torah, leaving us with seven books instead of the usual five, (a good thing to know for parsha quizzes!).  These verses are set aside by an upside down form of the letter “nun”…

  • From Sinai to the Desert: The Struggle with Desire and Growth

    In this week’s parsha, the Jewish people have started the walk from Mount Sinai to the land of Israel and the people begin to complain. “We remember the fish, which we ate for free in Egypt; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, onions, and garlic;  But now our soul is dried up; there…