Torah Parallels

Parshas Tazria - The End is Near: "Game Over" or "Level Cleared"? (2013/5773) Parshas Tazria - Be Kind Too! You're a Web-Rooted Friend (2012/5772)

פרשת שמיני Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About Rashi (Vayikra 9:1) on the first passuk in this week's parsha comments that Hashem had Moshe call over the elders of B'nei Yisorel to let them know that it was according to Hashem's command that Aharon be the one to assume the position of Kohen Gadol , so that they should not say that Aharon took the position by himself. Was this really a worry? The Kohen Gadol had a very scary job going into the Kodesh HaK'doshim on Yom Kippur. Why would anyone assume this position unless told by Hashem to do so? Why would the elders of Yisroel allow such a possibility to enter their mind? Rashi (Vayikra 9:2) writes that Hashem commanded Aharon to take a calf as a karbon in order to grant an atonement for partaking in the cheit Ha'Eigel (sin of the golden calf). How could this be a proper atonement for Aharon if we know that there is a principle of ein k'teiger na'aseh sneiger (that one does not ge...

Thoughts on The Parsha Parshas Shemini Same But Different By: Daniel Listhaus וַיִּקְחוּ בְנֵי אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אִישׁ מַחְתָּתוֹ וַיִּתְּנוּ בָהֵן אֵשׁ וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלֶיהָ קְטֹרֶת וַיַּקְרִיבוּ לִפְנֵי ה ' אֵשׁ זָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוָּה אֹתָם : וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי ה ' וַתֹּאכַל אוֹתָם וַיָּמֻתוּ לִפְנֵי ה ' י “ The sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, each took his pan, they put fire in them and placed incense upon it and they brought before Hashem an alien fire that He had not commanded them. A fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed them and they died before Hashem.” - Shemini 10:1-2 Throughout the Torah we are constantly reminded that there are many levels on which one could perform mitzvos . On a basic level, one could simply be doing mitzvos without realizing he is doing mitzvos ; whether that be because he has the wrong intentions or because he has personal reasons to be doing the mitzvos he does. In our parsha we find such an example along...

Parshas Shemini 2012 / 5772 - Half and Half: You Are What You Eat

Thoughts on The Parsha Parshas Tzav and Purim Defense or De-fence? By: Daniel Listhaus וּבְשַׂר זֶבַח תּוֹדַת שְׁלָמָיו בְּיוֹם קָרְבָּנוֹ יֵאָכֵל לֹא יַנִּיחַ מִמֶּנּוּ עַד בֹּקֶר “ And the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace-offering must be eaten on the day of its offering: he may not leave any of it until morning.” - Tzav 7:15 Continuing with the theme of karbanos (sacrifices) and their respective halachos (laws), the Torah 1 commands that the karbanos must be eaten on the day of their offering and cannot be left over to be eaten the next morning. Rashi 2 points out that the passuk (verse) uses many adjectives to describe the karbon being discussed. He explains that it is from these words that we learn out that the Torah is coming to include many karbanos , such as the chatas (sin-offering), asham (guilt offering), the a'yil nazir (ram of the nazir offering), and the chagiga (festival-offering) brought together with the karbon pesach , under the umbrella of this p...

פרשת ויקרא Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About (1:1) The Baal Haturim writes that the small aleph in “Vayikra” was a compromise between Moshe and Hashem. Moshe only wanted the Torah to say “Vayakar” to express that Hashem only happened to appear to Moshe as the Torah expresses when Hashem went to Billam. So, the compromise was to have the aleph but in smaller font. The question is though: Granted Moshe was the humblest man who ever lived, however, humility does not mean sinking to a low-life level of Billam. The middah of anavah sometimes requires one to utilize his full self esteem and specifically do things to show that he represents the will of Hashem. So, how could Moshe suggest that The Torah recall his encounters with Hashem in the same way it does for Billam? Besides for iin this week's parsha by Hashem talking to Moshe by the Ohel Moed, there are two other times in the Torah when Hashem “calls” Moshe before speaking to him. When were they? (1:2) T...

Thoughts on The Parsha Parshas Vayikra Proper Prayer By: Daniel Listhaus דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן לַה ' מִן הַבְּהֵמָה מִן הַבָּקָר וּמִן הַצֹּאן תַּקְרִיבוּ  אֶת קָרְבַּנְכֶם “ Speak to the B'nei Yisroel and say to them: When a person from among you will bring an offering to Hashem: from the animals – from the cattle and from the flocks you shall bring your offering.” - Vayikra 1:2 After getting used to the continuing story of the Torah starting from the beginning of time and going through the generations of Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and the shevatim in Sefer Beraishis , followed by the relaying of the Jews as slaves in Mitzrayim , their miraculous redemption, the receiving of the Torah, and the beginnings of their story of their travels through the midbar (desert) in Sefer Shemos , we leave the realm of being used to the weekly “story” portion and enter Sefer Vayikra into a world of obscure laws and difficult conc...