Weekly Parsha Thoughts

The Rama writes that one should not be cruel to not forgive someone unless he intends for the benefit of the one who seeks forgiveness. For example, if you will forgive him right away, he will then continue on with his habit... Read More

This year Rosh Hashanah falls out on Shabbos and Sunday. We all know that on Shabbos we do not blow the Shofar. The Gemara writes the reason is because Chazal were afraid that one might carry the Shofar four amos in a... Read More

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