A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY In addition to giving us a series of laws, this week’s Parsha (Acharei Mot) opens with its title. These words, literally, “After the death…” refer to the laws being taught after the deaths of the sons of Aaron the High Priest. They passed away prematurely because they entered the Holy of Holies (in… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY Tonight begins the Shabbat of Passover. These are days which commemorate the splitting of the Sea of Reeds (being approximately a week after the Jewish people were freed) as well as celebrate – strangely, in anticipation of- the future Redemption. Much is discussed about what “the Redemption” means and people tend to have… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY This week’s Parsha (Metzorah) continues the saga of the “leper” discussed last week. The word “Metzorah” literally means, “one with Tzaraas,” so makes sense to contain these laws—and yet we find something intriguing. The laws relating to actually having Tzaraas were found in last week’s Parsha; this week contains the laws of purification… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY This week’s Parsha (Tazria) tells us about various pure and impure situations, most notably, “tzaraat,” a biblical era malady that we typically liken to leprosy. But one things stands out as a theme in the portion overall—the impact our words can have on reality. We sometimes think of words as here today, gone… Read More

A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY This week we read the Parsha, Shemini, which literally means “Eighth.” There are some laws of kosher animals and various laws surrounding purity, but I’m going to focus on the name of the Parsha. The Eighth refers to the day on which, after the seven days of inauguration, Aaron, the high priest of… Read More