Machon Ohr Aaron and Betsy Spijer
The menorah of Chanukah, sometimes called the chanukiah, has its roots in the menorah of the Temple. While there are many halakhot (laws) regarding the appearance and structure of the biblical menorah, Rashi, the great French commentator, points to a most remarkable halachic feature. Regarding the instruction to arrange the lamps so that they will […]
“Kosher” is a term that has gained rather wide prevalence, primarily in the context of “kosher food” – food that has been prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary law (“kashrut”). Are these dietary laws sufficient to deem food kosher and fit for consumption? There may be other concerns significances of what “kosher” means that will influence our thoughts and behavior. “Kosher” is, in fact, a matter of holiness – which requires us to advance, progress and improve ourselves.
“Kosher” is a term that has gained fame in the context of “kosher food” prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary law. (“kashrut”). Yet “kosher” is a matter of holiness – which requires us to advance, progress and improve ourselves.
As mentioned in our last essay (here) the Torah is not a text to be read as a book—rather, it is to be seen as a divine “notebook” containing succinct summaries of a greater lecture or series of lectures. Moshe first heard the lecture in its “sum total” when God delivered a series of lectures […]
The text of the Torah can be quite misleading when read in a vacuum. The casual reader may encounter what he deems to be errors, stylistic inconsistencies, grammar and linguistic anomalies, and more.
However, prior knowledge – and primarily a basic understanding of what the Torah text truly is and what the goals of its divine author are – are the keys to properly understanding any and every word of the sacred text.
Winter – bleak, dreary and cold – often has a negative effect on our moods and even outlooks. The message of Sukkot, The Festival of Tabernacles, must be continued into this period of darkness and, indeed, into our lives.
The Sukkah is a structure that is quite plain and feeble by definition and requirement, and yet it interior and significance are tremendously beautiful and solid. Our lives can be greatly enriched and understood and even assigned deep purpose when we understand the Sukkah.
