Weekly Parsha Thoughts

The Gemara writes, four things rip up a bad decree against a person: tzedakah, tefilla…. The Maharsha points out that these are hinted at in the tefilos of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: “ותשובה ותפלה וצדקה מעבירין את רע הגזירה.” The Yerushalmi... Read More

The Gemara writes: One who brings a present to a Talmid Chacham is as though he brought Bikurim. This is as the passuk states, “a man came from Ba’al Shalisha and brought lechem Bikurim to the ish Elokim, Elisha.” Rashi points out... Read More

The Midrash Tanchuma writes that in this Parsha we learn about the idea called mitzvah-goreres-mitzvah and aveira goreres aveira. The beginning of the Parsha teaches us about aveira-goreres-avaira: if a person takes a yefas to’ar he will end up hating her. Then he will... Read More

The passuk states, “tamim tehiyeh im Hashem Elokecha, you shall be tamim with Hashem your G-d.” What does the Torah mean to teach with the word “tamim”? In Tehillim the passuk states, “praiseworthy are the ‘temimai derech’ who travel ‘b’Toras Hashem.” The... Read More

The Parsha starts off, “See I am placing before you bracha and klalah. The bracha, on condition, that you will listen to the mitzvos of Hashem that I am commanding you today. And the klalah, if you don’t listen to the mitzvos... Read More

The Gemara in Brachos states: They said to Rebbi Yochanan, “there are old people in Bavel.”  He wondered and said “‘l’ma’an yirbu yemaichem…al ha’adama, in order that your days will lengthen.” In “your land” refers to the land of Eretz Yisrael where... Read More