In this week’s parsha, the Torah describes the Korban Todah —the thanksgiving offering. Rashi explains that this offering was brought by someone who survived a life-threatening situation, such as safely crossing the sea, traveling through a desert, being released from captivity, or recovering from serious illness. The offering included both meat and forty loaves of bread. Interestingly, the Torah tells us that these loaves were divided into three parts matzah and one part cha

The Torah teaches regarding offerings: “You shall salt your every meal-offering with salt; you may not discontinue the salt of your G-d’s covenant from upon your meal-offering—on all your offerings shall you offer salt.” (Vayikra 2:13) Not only does the Torah require that salt accompany every offering, it also adds a prohibition: one may not omit “the salt of your G-d’s covenant.” This raises a fundamental question: What is this “covenant of salt”? Rashi, citing a Midrash, tr

The culmination of the Book of Shemos is the completion and erection of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Yet the Torah describes this event three separate times, each with slightly different wording:   1)   “On the day of the first new moon, on the first of the month you shall erect ( תקים ) the Mishkan, the Tent of Meeting.” (Shemos 40:2) 2)   “It was in the first month of the second year on the first of the month that the Mishkan was erected ( הוקם ).” (40:17). 3)   “Moshe erected

After Moshe shattered the first set of Tablets upon seeing the Jewish people celebrating around the Golden Calf, Hashem instructed him: “Carve for yourself two stone Tablets like the first ones, and I shall inscribe on the Tablets the words that were on the first Tablets, which you shattered….No man may ascend with you nor may anyone be seen on the entire mountain, even the flock and the cattle may not graze facing that mountain.” (Shemos 34:1,3). This event stands in stark c

In Megillat Esther, which we read on Purim, we are told that Mordechai uncovered a plot to assassinate King Achashverosh and informed Queen Esther: “The matter became known to Mordechai, and he told Queen Esther. Esther told the king in Mordechai’s name.” (Esther 2:22) The Megillah deliberately emphasizes that Esther reported the plot “in Mordechai’s name.”  This detail appears minor, yet the Gemara attributes extraordinary significance to it: “Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Ch