Rabbi Mordchai Becher explains how this parsha is the source for the concept of "agency" in Jewish law. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Read MoreWatch out for that big hole in the ground.... View this video directly on VIMEO
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The Torah portion of Korach ends with an extensive discussion of the various tithes (agricultural taxes) that the Torah requires. The basic idea is that the Land of Israel and its agricultural products are considered holy, therefore there are special laws that apply to them. The most well known is the obligation in Biblical and Temple times to separate a percentage of the crop and give it to the Cohanim ...
Read MoreWhy wasn’t Moshe allowed to enter the Promised Land? View this video directly on Vimeo
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The Torah reading for this week begins with an intricate series of laws regarding purity, impurity and purification. This involved many details which appear to some to be, excessive, a complaint commonly heard about Jewish law in general. I would like to explain one idea behind all this detail: consistency. Consistency is much more difficult to achieve than one might expect. Imagine someone waking up one morning and making a firm ...
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Rabbi Becher's VLOG
Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s VLog – Partnership and the Talmud – Parshat Chukat 5779
Rabbi Becher is learning tractate "Bava Basra", which opens with the laws of shared living spaces, but in essence is talking about how our entire society is one large partnership, and that we should act as if we are partners with our fellow man. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Read MoreKorach made a tragic miscalculation that we all need to avoid. View this video directly on Vimeo
Read MoreThere's a hidden figure in this week's Torah portion from whom we can all learn a lesson. View this video directly on Vimeo
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Rabbi Becher's VLOG
Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s VLog – Spies: Then and Now – Parshat Shelach Lecha 5779
This week's parsha and haftara has stories about spies, and on that note, Rabbi Becher speaks about several spies who worked for the Mossad and other parts of the Israeli government including: Peter Malkin, Wolfgang Lotz, Eli Cohen and other spies whose names are still classified. View this video directly on Vimeo.
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I recently observed the Yarhzeit (yearly anniversary of the passing of a relative) of my mother, of blessed memory. Part of the observance is saying Kaddish, a prayer that is said by mourners and by the prayer leader. Kaddish was instituted almost 2,000 years ago and is mentioned in numerous places in the Mishnah and Talmud. Kaddish is written in Aramaic, the spoken language of the Jews in Israel and ...
Read MoreHarry Rothenberg reminds us that youth is not only for the young. View this video directly on Vimeo
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There is a popular misconception that “Judaism is not a religion of dogma” and that it makes no demands on belief. However, it is clear from the Torah itself that there are obligations of the intellect as well as obligations of action. In this week’s Parsha, Yitro, we find the following, famous statements. I am the Lord your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the ...
Read MoreWe are not here to be monks. View this video directly on Vimeo
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