Timeless Torah

Laws of vows said to tribal leaders. Why?
Ultimately everyone included.

"You shall be innocent..." ... Before Hashem and all Israel.
Difference between Chashad (suspicion) Maris Ayin ( ppearances).  read more »

The Torah is commonly referred to as the Five Books of Moses. This week, we conclude the Fourth Book of Bamidbar which details each of the 42 journeys by which the Israelites left Egypt and came to the borders of the Chosen Land. The opening verse of this account reads, “These are the journeys by which they went forth out of the land of Egypt.” This sentence raises a well known difficulty. Only the first of the journeys mentioned constitutes “going out of Egypt.” The others were all made well outside Egypt, mostly in the desert. Why then, does the passage use the plural, “journeys”?  read more »

At first glance one imagines the Cities of Refuge to be the neighborhood equivalent of Harlem...on a bad day. After all, who lived there? Killers! True, they were accidental murderers; nonetheless they were at least guilty of negligence, poor judgment, carelessness, and probably a lackadaisical attitude towards the sanctity of life. The facts however were much different. The bulk of the population in these urban centers was a very distinguished group of people, the Levites. Their job was truly unique. In addition to teaching the masses, they played an integral role in the killer’s rehabilitation.  read more »

I’m going to go out on a limb here. Pofessor Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994) is without a doubt my superior in both knowledge and education. For many years he held the posts of professor of organic chemistry, biology and neuro-psychology in the medical school of Hebrew University. He also served as a professor of Jewish studies at Haifa University, and professor of philosophy at Hebrew University. Author of many books (some of them in my personal library) and editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia Hebraica, he certainly does not need my approbation. Notwithstanding all of the above, I must take issue with the learned professor who points out the similarity between a verse in this week’s Biblical reading (Massei) and its accompanying Haftorah (from Jeremiah). In the Torah there is a stringent warning, “Do not defile the land (with bloodshed)...wherein I dwell.” Some 800 years later, the prophet makes a comparable declaration, “You defiled My land, and made my heritage an abomination.”  read more »