Articles with the tag: behar
Jewish Sign Language (25:35)
In a world so dichotomized by prosperity and poverty, there exist two general perspectives on wealth: (A) It is the rightful possession of those who earned it, and if they choose to share their good fortune, they are worthy of praise. (B) The unequal distribution of the earth’s resources is a travesty, and helping the needy is not a “good deed” but the rectification of a wrong.
Judaism rejects both views. Charity is more than kindness; it is an act of justice, hence an obligation. On the other hand, it is an honorable deed; a credit to the one who recognizes his duty and shares with the needy.
Certainly, wealth is not a crime, but a blessing. G-d could have…
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Money Can’t Buy (25:20)
The final chapters in the Book of Vayikra contain the blessing, “You will eat your bread and be satisfied.” Rashi (1040-1105) explains that this blessing is greater than a cursory reading would lead one to initially believe. What is being promised is not an income of several hundred thousand dollars. Anyway, who says that’s always a godsend? The ultimate blessing is to be satisfied with what we are given - irrespective of how little it may be. For if a person is happy with what he has; he will be completely satisfied with life.
The Seforno (1470-1550) elaborates on this idea in our weekly portion. In connection to the Sabbatical year when it is forbidden to plant and harvest, the…
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This Land Is (not) My Land (25:16)
In Eretz Yisroel the death threats continue. The number of inert bodies mount and violence is still the option of choice in resolving differences. If your response is, “Nothing has changed.” Look Again!
This time it is not Arab versus Jew, but rather Arab against Arab. The issue is land, the crime is selling it to a Jew and the penalty doesn’t allow for any appeals. In this week’s Biblical portion, the Torah also discusses the problem of land ownership. Here too, one cannot sell it to a Jew - but for a very different reason. It is not yours to sell.
Once every fifty years we are informed is the Yovel, commonly referred to as the Jubilee Year. Not…
Continue reading This Land Is (not) My Land (25:16)
The Money Test (25:9)
Every fifty years the people of Israel celebrated Yovel. The laws of the Jubilee year promoted the concept that personal freedom for individuals and legal rights to property belong to G-d to decide, not man. With that in mind we can appreciate why the Torah prohibited selling in perpetuity land in Eretz Yisroel. And so every Jubilee the farms and estates were returned to the original owners as originally dictated by a Divinely mandated lottery in the days of Joshua, successor to Moses.
The Yovel was marked by another important rule. Every Hebrew slave was granted unconditional freedom. These transfers of property and persons began on Rosh Hashana of the fiftieth year. From then until Yom Kippur was a period…
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What to Expect (25:6)
Monday mornings are all the same. Wake up early, learn Chassidus with a small group of insomniacs, pray with the Minyan, give a class of Chumash and head off to school. In fact, by that time I am hurrying. It’s already 8:00 AM.
Non-coincidentally, that’s the schedule for Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning…you get the idea. However this Monday was different. After studying and davening I was off to the airport. Rhode Island was our first destination. I mention the word our, even though this was not a family vacation. Not quite. It was the Hebrew Academy Community School, Hirsch Ben Yehuda Middle School Annual Trip, or the HACSHBYMSAT for short.
Obviously, the weekly TIMELESS TORAH is not the medium for…
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Jewish Sign Language (25:32)
‘Jewish’ Sign Language (25:32)
In a world so dichotomized by prosperity and poverty, there exist two general perspectives on wealth: (A) It is the rightful possession of those who earned it…(B) The unequal distribution of the earth’s resources is a travesty…
In a world so dichotomized by prosperity and poverty, there exist two general perspectives on wealth: (A) It is the rightful possession of those who earned it, and if they choose to share their good fortune, they are worthy of praise. (B) The unequal distribution of the earth’s resources is a travesty, and helping the needy is not a “good deed” but the rectification of a wrong.
Judaism rejects both views. Charity is more than kindness; it is an…
Continue reading Jewish Sign Language (25:32)
What to Expect (25:6)
TIMELESS TORAH is not the medium for a travelogue. We’re here to explore not the trail of the Pilgrims, but the highways and byways of the Torah. And so we shall…even if I have to drag you to Boston’s Logan Airport to do it.
Monday mornings are all the same. Wake up early, learn Chassidus with a small group of insomniacs, pray with the Minyan, give a class of Chumash and head off to school. In fact, by that time I am hurrying. It’s already 8:00 AM.
Non-coincidentally, that’s the schedule for Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning…you get the idea. However this Monday was different. After studying and davening I was off to the airport. Rhode Island was our first destination….
Continue reading What to Expect (25:6)
The Money Test
There is not a kid in all of America that does not know that drugs destroy, are easy to be hooked on, and difficult to leave. So why do they all start? Are they all idiots? The answer is, “Everybody is doing it.”
Every fifty years the people of Israel celebrated Yovel. The laws of the Jubilee year promoted the concept that personal freedom for individuals and legal rights to property belong to G-d to decide, not man. With that in mind we can appreciate why the Torah prohibited selling in perpetuity land in Eretz Yisroel. And so every Jubilee the farms and estates were returned to the original owners as originally dictated by a Divinely mandated lottery in the…
Continue reading The Money Test
This Land Is (not) My Land (25:16)
This Land is (not) my Land (25:16)
In Eretz Yisroel the death threats continue. The number of inert bodies mount and violence is still the option of choice in resolving differences….but this time it is not Arab versus Jew, but rather Arab against Arab.
In Eretz Yisroel the death threats continue. The number of inert bodies mount and violence is still the option of choice in resolving differences. If your response is, “Nothing has changed.” Look Again!
This time it is not Arab versus Jew, but rather Arab against Arab. The issue is land, the crime is selling it to a Jew and the penalty doesn’t allow for any appeals. In this week’s Biblical portion, the Torah also discusses the…
Continue reading This Land Is (not) My Land (25:16)
Money Can’t Buy (25:20)
Money can’t Buy (25:20)
Young couples who devote their lives to the service of G-d, either by becoming rabbis, teachers…. are barely getting by. But shouldn’t their commitment to G-d guarantee them a livelihood? Shouldn’t they be
The final chapters in the Book of Vayikra contain the blessing, “You will eat your bread and be satisfied.” Rashi (1040-1105) explains that this blessing is greater than a cursory reading would lead one to initially believe. What is being promised is not an income of several hundred thousand dollars. Anyway, who says that’s always a godsend? The ultimate blessing is to be satisfied with what we are given - irrespective of how little it may be. For if a person is happy…
Continue reading Money Can’t Buy (25:20)