Torah Parallels

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas ACharei Mos-Kedoshim Vampires and Blood Poisoning By: Daniel Listhaus וְאִישׁ אִישׁ מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִן הַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתוֹכָם אֲשֶׁר יֹאכַל כָּל דָּם וְנָתַתִּי פָנַי בַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֹכֶלֶת אֶת הַדָּם וְהִכְרַתִּי אֹתָהּ מִקֶּרֶב עַמָּהּ “Any man of  B’nei Yisroel  and of the proselyte who dwells among them who will consume any blood – I shall direct my face upon the soul consuming the blood, and I will cut it off from its people.”  - Acharei Mos   17:10             The  passuk [1]   warns us that it is forbidden to consume blood. Even the blood from a perfectly kosher animal which was properly  shechted  (slaughtered) is prohibited to eat. This is the reason for the thorough salting process with its accompanying complex  halachos . However, the way the Torah warns about this particular commandment is very different from what we find by other negative commandments. Regarding the prohibition of consuming blood Hashem says

~ Something to Think About ~  אחרי-מות  פרשת   Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus Rashi 16:1 – Why necessary to spook Aharon out here by this mitzva more than anyone else by any other? And why Aharon more than anyone else? He understood right away with “va'yidom aharon ” that his children deserved to die? Rashi 16:5 – Why would merely changing the clothes require tevilas yadayim v'raglaim? 16:8 – Why were the two goats chosen via lottery arbitrarily to decide which one was la'hashem and which la'a'za'zel? 17:10 The passuk (17:10) when describing prohibition of eating blood says that anyone who eats blood – Hashem will direct his face upon them and cut them off from their people. Rashi explains further that Hashem will turn aside, so to speak, from all his other concerns to deal with this person. What is so bad about eating blood that the Torah takes so seriously? (Extra Credit: Where else in the Torah does the Torah use the same

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Tazria- Metzora A Time to Tweet: Don’t Kill Two Birds with One Tone By: Daniel Listhaus וְצִוָּה הַכֹּהֵן וְלָקַח לַמִּטַּהֵר שְׁתֵּי צִפֳּרִים חַיּוֹת טְהֹרוֹת וְעֵץ אֶרֶז וּשְׁנִי תוֹלַעַת וְאֵזֹב “The  Kohen shall command; and for the person being purified there shall be taken two live, pure birds, cedarwood, a crimson [tongue of] wool, and hyssop.” -Metzorah  14:4                                                                                       After having detailed the characteristics of the various  tzara’as  afflictions that could appear on one’s body and clothing in  Parshas Tazria ,  Parshas Metzorah  opens with a description of the process for the  metzorah  (person with  tzara’as ) to become  tahor  (pure).  Rashi [1] explains that each of the items required as part of the  tahara  process had a specific role and symbolization. The first component listed in the  passuk  (verse) is the pair of birds.  Rash

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת  תזריע Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (12:3) ”Rashi writes that just like man was created after animals, so too were the halachos of birth commanded after halachos of animals (kashrus).” Indeed sometimes the Torah instructs us that the proper order of teaching and responding is A-B A-B: That when two things are said the proper approach is to respond in the same order (See also when Eliezer responded to Lavan/Besuel). However there are also examples where the Torah orders in a A-B B-A format justifying that since the last thing taught is still fresh on the mind we respond to that first. (See Gemara Berachos 2a and Tosfos Bava Kamma 17a). What are the guidelines when to respond in the order of things mentioned and when to respond to the second item first? (13:14) Rashi writes that when a person thinks he has tzara’as he must go to the kohen have it inspected. However, there are two exceptions: A  chossen  (during  sheva   ber

Thoughts on Pirkei Avos Perek 1 Mishna 1: Tradition: The Essence of Judaism משה קיבל תורה מסיניי ,  ומסרה ליהושוע ,  ויהושוע לזקנים ,  וזקנים לנביאים ,  ונביאים מסרוה לאנשי כנסת הגדולה .  והן אמרו שלושה דברים :  היו מתונים בדין ,  והעמידו תלמידים הרבה ,  ועשו סייג לתורה Moshe received th e Torah from  Sinai and gave it over to Yeh oshua . Yehoshua gave it over to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gave it over to the  Men of the Great Assembly . They [the Men of the Great Assembly] would always say these three things: Be cautious in judgment. Establish many students. And make a safety fence around the Torah. Pirkei Avos 1:1 By: Daniel Listhaus Rabbeinu Yonah  describes that at  Har   Sinai  we received  Torah she'ba'al peh  and  Torah she'b'chsav . Both aspects of Torah are equally necessary. Like the red and blue sides of 3D glasses, the true Torah is only seen properly when looking through both lenses at the same ti

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Shemini Self Acceptance, Not Self Exceptance By: Daniel Listhaus וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה אֶל אַהֲרֹן קְרַב אֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וַעֲשֵׂה אֶת חַטָּאתְךָ וְאֶת עֹלָתֶךָ וְכַפֵּר בַּעַדְךָ וּבְעַד הָעָם וַעֲשֵׂה אֶת קָרְבַּן הָעָם וְכַפֵּר בַּעֲדָם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה ' “Moshe said to Aharon: Come near to the  mizbe’ach  and perform the service of your sin-offering and your  olah- offering and provide atonement for yourself and for the people; then perform the service of the people’s offering and provide atonement for them, as Hashem commanded.”  - Vayikra   9:7              Rashi [1]   in  sefer Bamidbar  describes that for the first seven days of the inauguration of the  Mishkan , Moshe assembled and dismantled the  Mishkan  each day. On the eighth day however, which was  Rosh Chodesh Nissan , Moshe erected the  Mishkan  and it remained in place until the  anan  (Cloud) moved indicating that it was time for  B’nei Yisroel  to travel. Ou