In the Book of Ruth, Ruth visits Boaz in the middle of the night. Boaz agrees to attempt to redeem Naomi’s fields and to marry Ruth. At the end of their encounter, Boaz tells Ruth (3:15) “Bring [me] the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” The narrative continues: “He measured out six barley grains and he placed it upon her.” This raises a question: Why was Boaz measuring out barley grains in the middle of the night and why did he give them to Ruth? The Malbim explains tha

You're Not a Kid Anymore The Torah says (Bamidbar 3:15) “Count the sons of Levi… from one month of age and up you shall count them.” Rav...

After the Torah details the laws that Moshe taught the Jewish people while they were encamped at Mount Sinai, the book of Vayikra concludes with parshas Bechukosai . In this final parsha, the book of Vayikra culminates in the Berachos , the blessings that Hashem promises the people if they follow His decrees and ordinances, and the Tochachah , the punishments that Hashem promises to carry out against the Jewish people if they break Hashem’s covenant and do not follow His comm

The Torah tells us (Vayikra 21:16-17): “Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to Aharon, saying: any man of our offspring throughout their generations in whom there will be a blemish shall not come near to offer the food of his G-d”. The Torah then lists such blemishes, including a man “who is blind, lame, one whose nose has no bridge, or one who has one limb longer than the other” and other physical abnormalities (Ibid. 21:18-20). The Talmud derives 140 different blemishes t

We are now counting the Omer – the days between Pesach and Shavuos - and we are also involved in a period of national mourning, where weddings and musical celebrations are prohibited. The counting of the Omer should be a happy time, as we commemorate the joyful Exodus from Egypt and the progress of the Jewish people in the desert as they prepared to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai on Shavuos. If this is in essence a very joyful and happy time, why are we involved in nationa

This week’s parsha focuses on the biblical affliction of tzaraas , a condition that can appear on a person’s skin, scalp, or beard. Although its symptoms are physical, our sages understood tzaraas to be rooted in spiritual and moral failing. Most famously, the Torah connects lashon hara—slanderous speech—with tzaraas , as when Miriam was afflicted after speaking negatively about Moshe (Bamidbar 12). Yet, the Talmud (Arachin 16a) broadens the scope of tzaraas ’s causes to inc

This week’s parsha highlights the death of Aharon’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu, when they brought a strange fire before Hashem. (Vayikra 10:1). Despite the loss of their sons and brothers, Moshe commanded Aharon and his two remaining sons, Elazar and Ithamar, to carry on with their duties with the inauguration of the Mishkan. This command led to a dispute between Moshe and the Cohanim. As mourners, Aharon, Elazar and Ithamar burned the he-goat of the sin-offering, and did not

The Haggadah of Pesach tells us that “Rabban Gamliel used to say: Whoever has not explained the following three things on Passover has not fulfilled his duty, namely: Pesach – the Passover Offering; Matzah – the Unleavened Bread; Maror – the Bitter Herbs.” This is puzzling. The Torah generally does not reveal the reasons for the mitzvos. Hashem’s mitzvos are multi-faceted, with many layers of understanding underlying each mitzvah. Indeed, the Torah itself does not reveal the

The Pesach Haggadah highlights four sons: the wise son, the wicked son, the simple son, and the one who does not even know how to ask a question. These four sons parallel the four sons who are depicted in various places in the Torah. Each son, except for the one who cannot formulate a question, engages with the Pesach experience by asking about it. Yet the wicked son poses a particularly provocative question: “What is this service to you?” By the nature of the wording, the wi

At the beginning of Sefer Vayikra, the Torah details the various ways one can bring a burnt offering (עולה). The Torah begins with offerings from cattle (Vayikra 1:3), sheep or goats (1:10), birds (1:14), and finally flour (2:1). For each of the first three sacrifices, the Torah says: “If one’s offering is from…” and then specifies the animal. However, with the flour meal-offering (מנחה), the Torah says: “When a soul (נפש) offers a meal-offering to Hashem.” (Ibid. 2:1). Why d