seven
Ki Sisa – Receiving the 7th in the 6th
Why is the concept of Shabbos the introduction to the story of the Golden Calf? Why does Moshe study the Torah for forty days diligently, only to forget it and then receive it as a gift in the end? Why do the Jewish people use the Manna in their idolatrous worship of the Golden Calf?…
Read MoreVaera- Balancing Fire and Ice
Why is the seventh plague – hail – the first that is performed by Moshe alone? Why is there a stress on the fact that he raises his hands ‘to heaven?’ What does it mean that Moshe has power over heaven and earth? Why does the hail coexist with fire? Why does Hashem’s mercy join…
Read MoreKi Seitze – Intuition and Transcendence
Why does the Torah only tell us the reward for two out of the 613 commandments? Why does it specifically tell us by honoring parents and sending away the mother bird? What is the deeper understanding of the idea of sending away the mother bird when taking the eggs or chicks? How does one access…
Read MoreTazria-Metzora – Beyond Process
Why does the Torah skip the process between conception and birth – why mention conception at all? Why is the concept of the seven days the mother is impure immediately followed by the concept of the eighth day of the bris? Why is the creation of Adam so relevant to this idea, and what is…
Read MorePinchas – 7 Year Podcast Anniversary!
Why is there no prohibition to destroy the fruit-bearing trees of the Midianites? What is the deeper significance of the fact that the woman of the generation of the wilderness were not involved in the sins of the Golden Calf and the Spies? Why does Hashem ask Moshe seven times to be his messenger to…
Read MoreChukas – Transcendent Statute
Why is the concept of the Red Heifer referred to as a statute? What is the paradox of this commandment? Why were only Moshe and R’ Akiva privy to an understanding of it? Why did R’ Akiva have more of an understanding than Moshe? What is the idea of a chok-statute? How and why does…
Read MoreBehar – losing oneself in unity
What is the concept of the Shemitah year where one gives up ownership on one’s own land? How does this relate to what happens on Shabbos? What is the significance of the sixth and seventh aspects in this context? When is it appropriate to ‘lose oneself’ in the greater Unity of God and spirituality? What…
Read MoreDovid, Yosef, the sixth hour and the seventh hour
I thought that title would get your attention. And, to boot, this is post number 607. Cool. Someone recently left a comment on the blog that they miss my moshiach messages. I wrote back that the messages are still there, you just have to know how to hear them. I don’t need to say too…
Read MoreTetzaveh – Do We Have Free Will?
If God is all-knowing, how do we have free will? What is the significance of the miracle of the western candle of the menorah that always stayed lit? Why did the kohen gadol start lighting and end lighting there? What is the significance of the fact that Moshe could not succeed in forming the menorah?…
Read MoreVaera – Silence Amidst Chaos
Why is the parsha split up in such a way that we get only the first seven plagues in this week’s parsha? What is the significance of the numbers seven and ten? Why is it so important for us to know that the Jews were singled out and that the plagues did not touch their…
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