Parshat Ki Teitsei 5779: Expressing Unity, and Taking Collective Responsibility vs Acquiescense to Evil?

Shalom Friends;

This week, our Parshat HaShevua Ki Tzeitzei is sponsored by Drs. David and Malka Blass of Ramat Beit Shemesh and dedicated for a Refuah Shleima for the Cholim of the community. To the Blass family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.

You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.

Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details. read more

Parshiyot Tazria/Metzora 5777: Gauging Contemporary Ta’amei/Tahara on a National Level, as well as Individual/National Sincerity in Teshuvah

Shalom Friends;

This week, our Parshiyot HaShevua, Tazria/Metzora is being sponsored by David and Julie Morris and family of Ramat Beit Shemesh Lilui Nishmas for the Yahrtzeit of Julie’s Mother Shulamit Devorah bat Rav Shimshon Raphael z”l. To the Morris family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.

You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua. read more

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Parshat Ki Teitsei 5774: Unity, and Responsibility vs Acquiescense to Evil?

Shalom Friends;

This week, our Parshat HaShevua, Parshat Ki Teitzei 5774 is being sponsored by Nachum and Michal Kligman and family of Ramat Beit Shemesh to wish for much continued success with Mianzi Fashion and Hotslocha to their son Moshe Shlomo ben Michal. To the Kligman family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.

You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua. read more

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Parshat Ki Teitsei 5773: Collective Kindness, Unity and Responsibility vs Acquiescense to Evil –Amplified

Shalom Friends;

This week, our Parshat HaShevua is being sponsored by Matis and Marla Sklar of Ramat Beit Shemesh. To the Sklar family, many thanks for your sponsorship and continued kindnesses.

You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring (or as the case may be, co-sponsoring) a Parshat HaShevua.

Please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details. read more

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Parsha Balak 5773: Historical Parallels — Today’s Bila’ams, and Motivations for Toleration of Evil in the Camp

Shalom Friends;

This week, our Parshat HaShevua is being sponsored by Avraham and Miriam Deutsch of Efrat in honor of Kol Am Yisrael — Am Yisrael Chai! To the Deutsch family, many thanks for your continued kindnesses.

You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring (or as the case may be, co-sponsoring) a Parshat HaShevua. Please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details. read more

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Parshat Tazria-Metzora 5773: Manifestations of Ta’amei/Tahara on a Contemporary National Level and Gauging Individual/National Sincerity in Teshuvah

by Moshe Burt

In learning about the laws of tzara’as, we find posukim which are a pelah, a wonderment.

Torah relates in our Parsha;

“If the tzara’as will erupt on the skin, and … will cover the entire skin of the afflicted from his head to his feet, wherever the eyes of the Kohen can see — the Kohen shall look, and behold! — the affliction has covered his entire flesh, then he shall declare the affliction to be pure; having turned completely white, it is pure. On the day healthy skin appears …, it (the affliction) shall be contaminated.” (Sefer Vayikra, Perek 13, posukim 12 – 14) read more

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Parsha Ki Teitsei 5772: Collective Kindness, Unity and Responsibility vs Acquiescense to Evil

by Moshe Burt

Parsha Ki Teitsei teaches numerous Mitzvot such as; returning lost items to their rightful owners, loaning money to one’s fellow Jew free from interest, what one is permitted to or prohibited from taking from another Jew as loan security, Shatnes (wool and linen together), Tzitzit, and dealing fairly and truthfully with one’s fellow Jews in business. We also learn of Mitzvot such as sending a mother bird away before taking the young or the eggs and helping one’s fellow Jew load and unload a burden, fencing in a roof area and not harnessing together different species of animals on the same yoke. read more

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Parsha Balak 5772: Historical Parallels and Motivations for Toleration of Evil in the Camp

by Moshe Burt

We learn in our Parsha, that after having utterly failed to bring Hashem to curse B’nai Yisrael, Bila’am left Balak with a scheme to seduce Jewish men to avodah zora by way of immorality (co-habitation), thus evoking Hashem’s wrath. The resultant plague killed 24,000 Jewish men and was only ended by Pinchas’ zealous act in slaying Zimri and Kosbi in one stroke of his spear.

The Midrash Says (by Rabbi Moshe Weissman, Parsha Balak, pages 350-351) indicates that Bila’am’s Ba’al Peor scheme began by attracting airev rav — those who accompanied the Jews out of Mitzrayim. But, then the attraction lured members of Shevet Shimon. The account states that Hashem revealed those who sinned by removing The Clouds of Glory from above the guilty ones. read more

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Parsha Ki Teitsei 5771: Kindness, Unity and Collective Responsibility vs Acquiescense to Evil

by Moshe Burt

Parsha Ki Teitsei teaches numerous Mitzvot such as; returning lost items to their rightful owners, loaning money to one’s fellow Jew free from interest, what one is permitted to or prohibited from taking from another Jew as loan security, Shatnes (wool and linen together), Tzitzit, and dealing fairly and truthfully with one’s fellow Jews in business. We also learn of Mitzvot such as sending a mother bird away before taking the young or the eggs and helping one’s fellow Jew load and unload a burden, fencing in a roof area and not harnessing together different species of animals on the same yoke. read more

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Parshat Tazria 5771: Manifestations of Ta’amei/Tahara on a Contemporary National Level

by Moshe Burt

In learning about the laws of tzara’as, we find posukim which are a pelah, a wonderment.

Torah relates in our Parsha;

“If the tzara’as will erupt on the skin, and … will cover the entire skin of the afflicted from his head to his feet, wherever the eyes of the Kohen can see — the Kohen shall look, and behold! — the affliction has covered his entire flesh, then he shall declare the affliction to be pure; having turned completely white, it is pure. On the day healthy skin appears …, it (the affliction) shall be contaminated.” (Sefer Vayikra, Perek 13, posukim 12 – 14) read more

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