In our parsha, the pagan prophet and seer, Bilaam, attempts to curse the Jewish people, but through Divine intervention only succeeds in blessing them. One of the central themes of this parsha is the power of blessings and curses. In our own lives also, blessings can be very powerful tools for becoming better people. Many…
The earth swallows up Korach and his followers after their rebellion and they descend into “hell.” When they arrive, do they meet the devil? And is hell an actual place? View this video directly on Vimeo.
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…
The spies sin at the beginning of the Torah portion, and the Torah uses a linguistic connection to teach us not to stray after our own spies. It’s the tzitzit on our garments that help us restrain ourselves. View this video directly on Vimeo.
Rabbi Becher asks “Can you slander an object?” View this post directly on Vimeo
In this week’s Torah portion, we are commanded to tie fringes, called tzitzit, to the corners of every four-cornered garment: G-d said to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them that they shall make themselves fringes [tzitzit, in Hebrew] on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations. And they…
On the holiday of Shavuot, we read the story of Ruth, which teaches us that hindsight gives us the clarity to interpret prior events and intentions – for better or worse. View this video directly on Vimeo
Rabbi Becher looks at eating dairy foods and being independent on Shavuot. View this video directly on Vimeo
Rabbi Becher examines the Priestly Blessings which are introduced in this week’s parsha. View this video directly on Vimeo.
It is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot. Some explain this as one component in re-enacting Sinai. Having just received the laws about kosher food, the Jewish people had no choice but to limit themselves to easily prepared dairy or plant based foods, as opposed to meat that would require kosher slaughter, salting and…