Month: August 2013

(these are the rough comments delivered, I really modified my prepared remarks) Last time I gave a speech at a naming was for Nava. That time I had plenty of time to prepare and really polish it. This time around hasn’t been quite the same. The new babies are not the only thing that was… Continue reading Yaira

It doesn’t require a great deal of imagination to figure out that We’ve been trying to get pregnant for years. There was a great deal of medicine and time deployed to make it possible. And a great deal of prayer. We poured out hearts out in the run-up to each disappointment – and then we… Continue reading Nava

I lost my notes for this parsha – so I’ve tried to recreate what I had below. It is a bit touch and go – sorry. The word for counting is ‘tisa.’ Yeshivat Har Etzion points out that tisa is a word that means, literally, to lift up. It is a word with multiple meanings… Continue reading Ki Tisa

Continuing the theme of the mishkan being within us – what are the Kohanim? In this image, they represent the characters within our personality. There’s a key phrase – the Kohanim come from among bnei Yisrael to Kahano Li – to Kohen to me (G-d). It is a role of service to Hashem – not… Continue reading Tetzavah

The slave laws are one of the earliest groups of laws after ten commandments section. Isn’t this weird. We just learned we were free, why bring up slavery? Perhaps because in those days, slavery was a reality, but our slavery was different. As we see here, our slavery had rules and had an end. With… Continue reading Mishpatim

They bring gold, but not just any gold. Gold that was used as body ornaments (35:22). Why mention this? Perhaps because we see a specific elevation of this gold from body ornaments to ornaments of G-d. 36:6-7 They don’t have too much stuff, they have done too much work. How is this possible. You have… Continue reading Veyakhel-Pekudai

We see that the people should build a Mikdash so that Hashem can dwell among them. What is the word for dwell? Not Yoshev (or sit), but Shachan which is the same root as Shechinah. This is not normal dwelling, it is stronger – it is dwelling like a neighbor who is connected to you.… Continue reading Terumah

We met Gershom earlier, before Hashem tried to kill Moshe on his way back to Egypt. But we didn’t meet Eliezer except (probably) as the son to be given a bris in that incident. But when did Eliezer receive his name? It doesn’t say he received it here, we just read it here. Did he… Continue reading Yitro

My brother Isaiah points out that Pi hahiroth and Baal Zephon were gods of Egypt and Canaan respectively. They are the great gods of ancient civilization. It is here, before these witnesses, that Hashem will display his greatest miracle. When the Jews are surrounded, why is there never any attempt to resist? They give no… Continue reading Beshalach

We always translate this as Hashem hardening Pharoah’s heart. But perhaps the very presence of Hashem causes Pharoah’s heard to be made resistant. And the resistance isn’t ‘strength’ it is ‘weight’ or ‘honor.’ The question is why does Hashem have to play a role now? Pharoah had rational reason to resist until now. The Jewish… Continue reading Bo