Torah Thoughts on Parshas Ekev by Rabbi Ephraim Kletenik "וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת מִצְוֹת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו וּלְיִרְאָה אֹתוֹ" דְבָרִים ח':ו' “And you shall guard the commandments of God your Lord to go in His ways and to fear Him.” Devarim 8:6 There is a mitzvah of "וְהָלַכְתָּ בִּדְרָכָיו" – “And you shall follow in His ways.” We are obligated to emulate Hashem’s attribute of being kind and merciful. The Chafetz Chaim points out that this mitzvah is mentioned three times

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Ekev by Rabbi Gershon Schaffel "וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן אֵת הַמִשְׁפָּטִים הָאֵלֶה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְשָׁמַר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לְךָ אֶת הַבְּרִית וְאֶת הַחֶסֶד אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ" דְבָרִים ז':י"ב “And it will be because of your listening to these ordinances, and your observing and performing them, then God, your Lord, will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.” Devarim 7:12 The parashah begins thi

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Pinchas by Rabbi Eli Kohananoo "לָכֵן אֱמֹר הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם" בְּמִדְבַּר כ''ה:י''ב “Therefore say: ‘Behold, I give him my covenant of peace.” BeMidbar 25:12 Parashas Pinchas begins by recapping Pinchas’s act of zealousness, which ended the terrible plague raging against Klal Yisrael. The Torah also emphasizes the eternal reward that Pinchas received for his act. Sforno, among others, interprets בְרִיתִי שָלוֹם as a covenant of peac

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Pinchas by Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky "צָרוֹר אֶת הַמִדְיָנִים וְהִכִּיתֶם אוֹתָם" בְּמִדְבַּר כ''ה:י''ז “Harass the Midianites and smite them.” BeMidbar 25:17 Last week, we read of Pinchas's extraordinary courage as he killed Zimri and the Midianite princess, Kozbi, ending a shameful episode in the desert. And this week, we read that Moshe Rabbeinu chose Pinchas to lead the battle against Midian because, as Rashi explained, מִי שֶהִתְחִיל בַּמִצְוָה...יִגְ

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Beha’aloscha by Rabbi Daniel Kanter, Rebbe and Director of Student Affairs, HTC "הֶאָנֹכִי הָרִיתִי אֵת כׇּל הָעָם הַזֶה אִם אָנֹכִי יְלִדְתִּיהוּ כִּי תֹאמַר אֵלַי שָׂאֵהוּ בְחֵיקֶךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשָׂא הָאֹמֵן אֶת הַיֹנֵק עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לַאֲבֹתָיו" בְּמִדְבַּר י''א:י''ב “Did I conceive all these people, did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the Land that You swore to thei

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Beha’aloscha by Dr. Joshua Fox "וְנָסַע דֶגֶל מַחֲנֵה בְנֵי דָן מְאַסֵף לְכָל הַמַחֲנֹת לְצִבְאֹתָם" בְּמִדְבַּר י':כ''ה “Then journeyed the division of the camp of the children of Dan, the gatherer for all the camps, according to their legions.” BeMidbar 10:25 Rashi on this pasuk explains that the tribe of Dan, traveling in the rear, would return any lost objects to their owners. This is the important mitzvah of Hashavas Aveidah, which encompasses bo

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Emor by Rabbi Yaakov Silverman "וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָחֳרַת הַשַׁבָּת מִיוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה" וַיִקְרָא כ''ג:ט''ו “And you shall count for yourselves, from the morrow of the Shabbos, from the day when you bring the omer of the waving, seven weeks; they shall be complete.” Vayikra 23:15 The mitzvah of Sefiras Ha’Omer is discussed in our parashah and starts " מִמָחֳרַת הַשַׁבָּת " – “from the day following S

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Emor by Aryeh Zev Kutner "וְהַכֹּהֵן הַגָדוֹל מֵאֶחָיו אֲשֶׁר יוּצַק עַל רֹאשׁוֹ שֶׁמֶן הַמִשְׁחָה וּמִלֵא אֶת יָדוֹ לִלְבֹּשׁ אֶת הַבְּגָדִים אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ לֹא יִפְרָע וּבְגָדָיו לֹא יִפְרֹם וְעַל כָּל נַפְשֹׁת מֵת לֹא יָבֹא לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמוֹ לֹא יִטַמָּא" וַיִקְרָא כ''א:י'-י''א “And the Kohen who is exalted above his brethren – upon whose head the anointment oil has been poured or who has been inaugurated to don the vestments – he shall not leave his head unshorn and s

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Shemini by Rabbi Yosef Polstein "הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם לְחָדְשֵׁי הַשָׁנָה" שְׁמוֹת י''ב:ב' “This month shall be for you the beginning of the months; it shall be for you the first of the months of the year.” Shemos 12:2 Once a year, on Parashas HaCHodesh, Chazal saw fit that we reflect upon the meaning of time and its significance in our Avodas Hashem. Time is certainly a critical element throughout Pesach. We left Mitzray