Torah Parallels

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  parsh

~ Torah Parallels ~ 5-Bullet Friday This week is Parshas Vayikra! 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):  Prosecutor and defendant. Rashi (Vayikra 9:2) writes that Hashem commanded Aharon to take a calf as a karbon 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 get the prosecutor to be the defendant)? Concept I am considering : “...Haba litaher, misayin oso”. The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (1:4) discusses the halacha to wake up in the morning strong like a lion along with the struggles one may have with the yetzer harah in both the winter and summ

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Tzav Change of Clothes By: Daniel Listhaus וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: צַו אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעֹלָה הִוא הָעֹלָה עַל מוֹקְדָה עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כָּל הַלַּיְלָה עַד הַבֹּקֶר וְאֵשׁ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ תּוּקַד בּו: וְלָבַשׁ הַכֹּהֵן מִדּוֹ בַד וּמִכְנְסֵי בַד יִלְבַּשׁ עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ וְהֵרִים אֶת הַדֶּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכַל הָאֵשׁ אֶת הָעֹלָה עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְשָׂמוֹ אֵצֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַֹ:   וּפָשַׁט אֶת בְּגָדָיו וְלָבַשׁ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים וְהוֹצִיא אֶת הַדֶּשֶׁן אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה אֶל מָקוֹם טָהוֹר: “Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Command Aharon and his sons, saying: This is the law of the  olah -offering: It is the  olah -offering [that stays] on the flame, on the  Mizbe’ach , all night until morning, and the fire of the  Mizbe’ach  shall be kept aflame on it. The  Kohen shall don his fitted linen Tunic, and he shall don linen  Michnasaim  on his flesh; he shall raise the ashes which the fire will consume

~ 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  

~ Torah Parallels ~ 5-Bullet Friday This week is Parshas Vayikra! 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):  hat’s the connection? The parsha begins discussing some of the halachos regarding various karbanos. The passuk (Vayikra 1:2) states, “When a person from among you will bring an offering to Hashem...”. Rashi is bothered why as to why the Torah writes “Adam” (a person) as opposed to the more conventional terminology of “ish” (a man). Rashi answers that the Torah is teaching us that just as Adam, the first man, did not bring a karbon from that which was stolen, since everything was his, so too 'you' must not bring an offering from that which was stolen. Why did the Torah choose this indirect way of alluding to the fact