Torah Parallels

~Thoughts on The Parsha~ Parshas Vayakhel Years to Make, Seconds to Break By: Daniel Listhaus וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רְאוּ קָרָא ה' בְּשֵׁם בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה “Moshe said to the Children of Israel,' See Hashem, has proclaimed by name, Bezalel son of Uri son of Chur, of the tribe of Yehuda.” - Vayakhel  35:30             After being commanded to construct the  Mishkan  and getting over the catastrophe of the  eigel ha'zahav , it was time to start building the  Mishkan . Moshe told  B'nei Yisroel  that Hashem has proclaimed by name: Bezalel son of Uri son of Chur as the person in charge of building the  Mishkan  and its  keilim . [1]             The  Medrash [2]   comments on this  passuk  (verse) that the  passuk  is telling us how great a good reputation is. Shlomo  Ha'melech  tells us in  Koheles ,   [3]  “ Tov shem m'shemen tov ”, a [good] name is better than good oil. As  Rashi [4]

~ Torah Parallels ~ 5-Bullet Friday This week is Parshas Vayakhel! Check out this week's d'var torah here . Have feedback or suggestions for future 5-Bullets? Fill out the survey here Here is this week's 5-Bullet Friday , a quick summary of thoughts I’ve been pondering during the week: : Question I'm pondering (on the parsha):  Simple or brilliant? The Gemara Berachos relates that Hashem told Moshe to tell Betzalel to make “A mishkan, an aron, and the keilim”. However when Moshe said this to Betzalel he reversed the order and said to make “An aron, keilim, and Mishkan”. Betzalel responded that he must have misunderstood what Hashem said because the way of the world is to first build a house (mishkan) and then the furniture (aron/keilim). Moshe saw from this conversation that Betzalel was seaking with Ruach Hakodesh. How did he see that from this? Betzalel merely said something that was obvious! Concept I am considering : Give him some space. T

פרשת ויקהל Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About Where is there a  remez  in the  parsha  to the 39  malachos  ? The Gemara Berachos relates that Hashem told Moshe to tell Betzalel to make “A  mishkan, an aron, and the keilim”.  However when Moshe said this to Betzalel he reversed the order and said to make “An aron, keilim, and Mishkan”. Betzalel responded that he must have misunderstood what Hashem said because the way of the world is to first build a house (mishkan) and then the furniture (aron/keilim). Moshe saw from this conversation that Betzalel was seaking with Ruach Hakodesh. How did he see that from this? Betzalel merely said something that was obvious!?

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Terumah Wood You Think of Me? By: Daniel Listhaus וְעָשׂוּ אֲרוֹן עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים אַמָּתַיִם וָחֵצִי אָרְכּוֹ וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי רָחְבּוֹ וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי קֹמָתוֹ :  וְצִפִּיתָ אֹתוֹ זָהָב טָהוֹר מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ תְּצַפֶּנּוּ וְעָשִׂיתָ עָלָיו זֵר זָהָב סָבִיב : “They shall make an  Aron  of  shittim  wood, two and a half  amos  in length; an  amah  and a half its width; and an  amah  and a half its height. You shall cover it with pure gold, from inside and from outside you shall cover it, and you shall make on it a golden diadem.”  - Shemos   25:10-11              The Holiest vessel in the  Mishkan  was the  Aron Kodesh  (Holy Ark). The  aron  contained the  luchos  (tablets) and was positioned in the  kodesh   hakedoshim  (Holy of Holies). The Torah [1]  commands that the  aron  be made of wood with a gold covering on the inside and outside.  Rashi [2] , based on his reading of the  passuk  (verse),   understands this to mea

~ Torah Parallels ~ 5-Bullet Friday This week is Parshas Terumah! Check out this week's d'var torah here . Have feedback or suggestions for future 5-Bullets? Fill out the survey here Here is this week's 5-Bullet Friday , a quick summary of thoughts I’ve been pondering during the week: : Question I'm pondering (on the parsha):  Poles.  Hashem commanded that the badim (poles) never be removed from the Aron. What was different about the poles of the Aron from all the other keilim that they were not allowed to be removed? Concept I am considering : Peh she’asur hu ha’peh she’hitir. This is a fairly common concept throughout shas. One example is in Demai 6:11 where the mishna presents a case of someone who sold produce in Syria and said that the fruits were from Eretz Yisroel (thus requiring ma’asros), they must be tithed. If however he then qualifies, “They have ma’asros taken from them already”, then there is no need to take ma’asros from them be

פרשת תרומה Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About What were the three ways which the B'nei Yisroel could participate in to help build the  aron ? The Gemara tells us that Betzalel was the one who had to correct Moshe and tell him to build the mishkan first before its  keilim  (vessels). Didn't Moshe already know this from Hashem? And even if not, why didn't he think to build the mishkan first anyway? Why is it that the dimensions of the aron are all incomplete measures? (Shemos 25:10) Hashem commanded that the poles of the aron never leave it. Why? The aron was made of three arons : gold, wood, and gold. How do we know that it is from three arons together and not just a wooden one with gold on inside and outside? Also, what is the significance of being made with three arons as opposed to one? Rashi (25:21) sites a machlokes as to whether the luchos were placed into the aron before the lid had been placed on it to complete it, or a

Parshas Mishpatim Peaceful Judgment By: Daniel Listhaus וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תָּשִׂים לִפְנֵיהֶם “ And these are the judgments that you shall place before them.” - Mishpatim  21:1 Rashi 1 comments that this  parsha  opens with the word “ v'eileh ” (literally: and these) in order to demonstrate that just as the  Aseres Ha'Dibros  (Ten Commandments)   in last week's  parsha were from  Har Sinai , so too all of the laws regarding how to rule in cases of monetary dispute and all the other  mitzvos  listed in this week's  parsha  and the Torah. The next  Rashi 2 continues to point out that Hashem told Moshe that the judgments in this week's  parsha  should be “placed before them [ K'lal Yisroel ] . Meaning, that Moshe should not merely teach them these  halachos  (laws) for them to memorize, but that he should teach it for everyone to understand the reasons behind the  halachos . Indeed, financial disputes and claims of damage ar