Parshas Korach
Print PDF By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield ויפלו על פניהם ויאמרו קל אלקי הרוחת לכל בשר האיש אחד יחטא ועל כל העדה תקצף (פרק ט”ז, פסוק כ”ב) They fell on their faces saying, “G-d of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with the entire assembly?” When בני ישראל gathered […]
Parshas Korach: Falsehood, the Source of all Mistakes
Print PDF By Rabbi Naftoly Bier In תהלים פ״ה:יא-יב, Psalms 85:11-12, it states: ״חסד ואמת נפגשו, צדק ושלום נשקו: אמת מארץ תצמח וצדק משמים נשקף.״ “When loving-kindness and truth have met together (then) righteousness and peace have kissed each other: Truth must spring from earth and righteousness still looks down from Heaven.” Rashi explains that […]
Parshas Shelach
Print PDF By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield ויקרא משה להושע בן נון יהושע (פרק י”ג, פסוק ט”ז) Moshe called Hoshea the son of Nun, “Yehoshua.” Before sending the twelve spies to see ארץ ישראל, Moshe changed the name of his student הושע to יהושע. The name יהושע is interpreted by חז”ל as a prayer that משה […]
Parshas Shelach: The Metaphysical Impact of Torah and Mitzvos
Print PDF By Rabbi Naftoly Bier Why does the Torah juxtapose the story of the מקושש, the person (צלפחד) who violated the Shabbos with the mitzvah of wearing ציצית; the requirement to place “strings” on any four cornered garment? The answer is, “that at that juncture of time, Moshe Rabeinu said to Hashem, ‘It states […]
Parshas Behaaloscha
Print PDF By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield האנכי הריתי את כל העם הזה אם אנכי ילדתיהו כי תאמר אלי שאהו בחיקך כאשר ישא האמן את הינק (פרק י”א, פסוקים י”ב-י”ג) Did I [Moshe] conceive this entire people, or did I give birth to it, that You [Hashem] say to me, “Carry them as a nurse carries […]
Parshas Behaaloscha: Does Action Create Will or Does Will Create Action?
Print PDF By Rabbi Naftoly Bier HaRav Menachem Recanati (1223-1290) who wrote mainly kabbalah, explained that before the “sin” of אדם הראשון, Adam, one’s inner essence and focus was completely positive, though the outside environment contained negative influences. Subsequently after the “sin” the external influences became his essence and the internal self became ideas and […]
Parshas Naso
Print PDF By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield איש או אשה כי יפליא לנדר נדר נזיר להזיר לד’ (פרק ו’, פסוק ב’) “A man or woman who will take a Nazirite vow of abstinence for the sake of Hashem.” In this week’s Parsha, the Torah describes the process used to determine the innocence or guilt of a […]
Parshas Naso: The Nazir and “The Street”
Print PDF By Rabbi Naftoly Bier Chazal explain the juxtaposition of the laws of the סוטה, Sotah – a woman who has not acted in a moral manner – to the laws of the נזיר, Nazarite in the following manner: A married woman who had been forewarned not to seclude herself with another man and […]
