Emor: Parents and Priests
When two seem to mitzvot "collide," like being the High Priest and properly honoring one's deceased parent, it’s a sign that we need a better understanding...
Rabbi Winston
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Emor: Not Free Yet
We never completely left Egypt - "Egypt" is any nation that pulls the Jewish people down to spiritual impurity. We will finally be free of Egypt when Mashiach arrives.
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Shmini: Why 8?
Nadav and Avihu offered their unauthorized fire with an amazing heart full of love of Hashem. The role of the number eight is a clue to what happened to them, why they did what they did, and why they were punished as they were. What is the critical message for our own mitzvah observance?
Va’etchanan: You Can’t Plead Everyone
What is the big deal about Moshe not being permitted to enter Eretz Yisrael? Being kept away indicates a broken relationship between the Jew and Hashem.
Vayakhel: A Shabbos Gathering
If so, then beginning with the mitzvah to build the Mishkan just after returning from G-d with atonement for the golden calf would have hammered...
Vayakhel: The Need for Unity
Everyone's eyebrows go up over the emphasis on Moshe's gathering of the people to hear G-d's command, asking, "Why is this night different from all others?"
Ki Tisa: No More Holy Cows, Please!
The sin of the golden calf remains to be a blemish on the "score card" of the Jewish nation that won't go away. Indeed, as Rashi points out...
Ki Tisa: What a Choice!
It is so bizarre! A golden calf? There are so many symbols of reckless fun. Why would the organizers decide to make something as strange as this? Read this true story from 2004 that eerily resembles the Supernova music festival and its choices almost 20 years later.
Tetzaveh: A Smile for Baalei Teshuva
For Baalei Teshuva, something always remains behind. Often, they are unconscious memories that surface when an event triggers the memory. Nonetheless, there is plenty for the baal teshuvah to smile about!
Terumah: The Adar 180
The wicked Haman and Achashverosh wanted to convince the Jews that Hashem had abandoned them, but the month of Adar brought a 180...
Mishpatim: Table With A (Torah) View
After the Torah was given, those who received it pass it on to the next generation of Jews. Therefore, the first issue is "chinuch" - Torah education.
Yitro: The Case for Unity
We are living in very dramatic times. Never before has achdut been more crucial. What appears to be the Erev Rav tries to splinter the Jewish People and to destroy all that we were redeemed from Egypt to create and maintain. Nonetheless, achdut must prevail.
Beshalach: Elevate the Mundane
Oh, the drama of it all. There were the Jewish people, fleeing the mightiest empire in the world at that time into… into what? Into a deadly desert with only…
Bo: For The Love Of G-d
EVERYTHING is within it, INCLUDING us, and even those yet to be born. If you know how, you can find out exactly where your life is hinted to within the Torah…
Bo: Beyond All Doubt
We have theories but still lack facts. Stonehenge is still a mystery as well. We're still looking for life in outer space though most of the signs...
Nassa: Why Cover Your Hair?
Rabbi Pinchas Winston elaborates on the “Nazir” with a beautiful explanation according to Jewish esoteric thought why a married woman must cover her hair.
Pekudei: On Account of the Mishkan
We have to care about the “pieces,” and put all of our love and concern into their development. Then, when the moment is right, G-d will take those pieces, and build a Mishkan of which we never dreamed of being a part of.
Bamidbar: Exhilarating!
How do we know that one's fear of sin and service of Hashem is the real deal? It should be exhilarating, not debilitating...