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  • The Watch and the Worth – A Perasha & Passover Thought
    2025/04/04

    The Watch and the Worth – A Passover Thought

    We begin Vayikra with a mystery:

    וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־מֹשֶׁה—with a small aleph.

    Chazal teach that Moshe, in his humility, wanted to write וַיִּקָּר—like a casual encounter. But Hashem insisted: no, write וַיִּקְרָא—with a calling. A term of love, of nearness.

    Because Hashem valued Moshe—even more than Moshe valued himself.

    And that’s the secret of geulah, of redemption.

    It’s not just about being taken out of Egypt.

    It’s about being told: “You are worthy. You are wanted. I choose you.”

    Let me tell you a story.

    A grandfather gives his grandson an old watch and sends him to get it appraised.

    At the jewelry store: $200.

    At the pawn shop: $60, after bargaining.

    Then, at a museum, the same watch is valued at $50,000.

    The stunned grandson returns, and the grandfather says:

    “You see? The watch never changed. But different people saw different worth. Some saw junk. One saw treasure. That’s the lesson—your value doesn’t depend on others’ opinions. It depends on who truly understands you.”

    And that’s exactly the message of the Seder.

    When we say בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה׳ לִי—“Because of this, Hashem did for me”—we’re not telling a story about the past.

    We’re standing in the present, in the relationship.

    We’re declaring: Hashem sees my worth. He chose me. He brought me out of Egypt.

    But here’s the thing: you don’t show up to the Seder cold.

    You prepare.

    Because when someone of infinite value invites you to a night of connection—

    You don’t just toss something together. You get your mind ready. Your heart. Your soul.

    We prepare for the Seder not just to clean our homes, but to clear space inside—so we can remember who we are, and who we belong to.

    So don’t just get ready for a meal.

    Get ready to be seen.

    Get ready to be chosen—again.

    Get ready to remember what Hashem has always known:

    You are priceless.

    Be sure to listen to the class - Its All About Me !

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    7 分
  • Pesach - It Needs To Be About Me
    2025/04/01

    When I was a kid I enjoyed playing baseball. We started at whiffle ball on the
    sidewalk and the driveway, graduated to soft ball in the park and when we had
    only a few of us, grabbed a broom stick and spalding and headed for the school
    yard. The key to hitting in baseball is to make contact. I think the key to the
    Seder and to Pesach is to make contact

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    57 分
  • The Thinning of the Veil during Nissan
    2025/03/30

    During the first 12 days of Nissan, we read the korbanot hanesi’im — the offerings brought by each tribal prince during the dedication of the Mishkan (Bamidbar 7). On day 13, we read “Zot chanukat hamizbe’ach.” After that, many communities continue saying the reading each day through day 21, and add names of departed loved ones for merit.

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    10 分
  • Rosh Hodesh Nissan 5782 Part 2 - Please listen to Part 1 first
    2025/03/28
    19 分
  • Rosh Hodesh Nissan 5782 part 1
    2025/03/28
    10 分
  • Money Matter The Ohr HaChaim and Don Isaac Abarbanel- Pikudei
    2025/03/25

    Audits and Public Trust

    Parshat Pikudei begins with Moses giving a
    complete accounting of all the raw materials collected for the building of the
    mishkan along with details on how these materials were used. Realizing that we
    already were given this information we ask why the need for an official audit
    which seems to be a redundancy. We know that audits typically follow
    questionable actions or accusations. So what led to this audit?

    The Midrash tell us: “They gazed after
    Moses” – People criticized Moses. They
    used to say to one another, “Look at that neck. Look at those legs. Moses is
    eating and drinking what belongs to us. All that he has belongs to us.” The
    other would reply: “A man who is in charge of the work of the Sanctuary – what
    do you expect? Do you expect that he should not get rich?” As soon as he heard
    this, Moses replied, “By your life, as soon as the Sanctuary is complete, I
    will make a full reckoning with you.”

    We wonder was this idle chatter widespread
    or perhaps only the conversation of a very few? And how could they accuse Moses
    of living off the communal till? Ironically they accuse Moses of taking what is
    theirs and using those funds to purchase and eat the choicest cuts of meats. I
    find the accusation itself the most ludicrous. Recall that the man who ascended
    Mount Sinai in order to receive the Torah on their behalf and following the
    incident of the Golden Calf when Hashem tells Moses that he will destroy these
    people returns to beg forgiveness for them did not eat or drink for forty days
    and forty nights.

    What do they think that he was making up
    for lost time and opportunity? Why even give substance to this ridiculous
    chatter by responding to it?

    We can add to the question based on
    another midrash which asks, “Why did Moshe make an accounting with them when
    Hashem trusted him, as the pasuk says:

    לֹא־כֵ֖ן עַבְדִּ֣י
    מֹשֶׁ֑ה בְּכׇל־בֵּיתִ֖י נֶאֱמָ֥ן הֽוּא׃

    “My
    servant, Moshe, is not that way; in all My house he is trustworthy” If he has
    G-d’s trust, is that not more than enough testimony to his honesty?

    I would suggest that Moses may have not
    been looking to defend himself. After all, he was neither the storage manager,
    nor the artisan, nor the seamstress. Where others might have opportunity to
    pilfer a bit of gold here or some silk there, he had none. So perhaps in
    seeming to defend himself, he was really looking to avoid any accusation ever
    being made against Bezalel, Aholiav and their teams of artisans and he was
    setting an example to future leaders involved in any sort of public funding.

    Moshe Rabbeynu’s actions teach us that a
    leader must avoid even the slightest hint of impropriety especially when it
    comes to the public’s money and their trust.

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    56 分
  • A subtle Purity: The Jewelry Still Worn - Vayakhel
    2025/03/21

    My son in law Moshe Alouf shared this with me this morning. A short thought on appreciating the women in our lives:

    A Subtle Purity: The Jewelry Still Worn

    In Shemot 35:22, the Torah describes the donations to the
    Mishkan:

    “וַיָּבֹאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים עַל־הַנָּשִׁים כֹּל נְדִיב לֵב הֵבִיאוּ
    חָח וָנֶזֶם וְטַבַּעַת וְכוּמָז...”
    “The men came upon the women—all whose hearts moved them brought brooches,
    earrings, rings, and pendants…”

    Rashi, based on Chazal, explains “עַל הַנָּשִׁים” as “with
    the women,” suggesting the men came closely following them. But the Meshech
    Chochma (on this pasuk) notices that Onkelos translates it
    literally: “while the jewelry was still on the women” (guvraya al
    neshaya).

    Why emphasize that the jewelry was still being worn?

    The Meshech Chochma brings in a powerful halachic framework.
    From the laws of Isurei HaMizbeyach, if an object is merely declared for
    Avodah Zarah, it's not inherently forbidden. But if any action—like
    placing it or shaping it—is done in the service of idolatry, the item becomes
    assur (forbidden).

    At the time of the Golden Calf, Bnei Yisrael (or at least
    the Erev Rav) said: “אֵלֶּה אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל”—“These are your
    gods.” That plural language reflects a desire for multiple powers, and their
    contributions of gold were accompanied by physical acts of creation. This could
    render any gold connected to the sin invalid for use in holy service.

    Enter the brilliance of the women. When Aharon asked
    for their jewelry to delay the Egel, they refused to give. That gold
    remained pure.

    So when it came time to build the Mishkan, the men didn't
    just bring gold. They brought the women themselves—with the jewelry still on
    them—to show clearly: this gold was never involved, never tainted. It
    was still “על הנשים”—on the women, not given over for sin.

    A Thought to Take With Us

    From this detail, we learn that not participating in
    a wrong is itself a form of powerful avodah. The women’s refusal to give to the
    Egel became the very foundation of their gift’s kosher status for the
    Mishkan.

    A Story to Illustrate

    Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l once walked into a room full
    of people discussing whether certain donations could be accepted by a yeshiva
    due to questionable sources. He said gently, “Sometimes the most valuable gift
    is not the donation itself, but the way it was held back when it could have
    gone to the wrong place.”

    Just like the gold that remained on the women until it could
    be offered to Hashem.

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    4 分
  • Besalel - Young Architect of Holiness - VaYakhel
    2025/03/18

    Bezalel is one of the most fascinating figures in the Torah. Despite being only 13 years old, he was entrusted with the immense responsibility of constructing the Mishkan and its sacred vessels. His wisdom, connection to divine inspiration,
    and spiritual legacy offer profound lessons. We have given a number of classes
    on Bezalel over the years and they are available in podcasts. I have an
    affinity towards Bezalel due mainly to my father’s admiration of him and how my dad and for generations before him were craftsmen of holy objects. You can hear more about that in the previous classes posted.

    This class will explore Bezalel’s unique role through some key themes: his wisdom, and I would like to specifically explore the power of the Aleph Bet on a level joining the spiritual and the physical, his connection to Hur and the concept of Ibbur and reincarnation or the Ruach of Chur entering him at the age of 13, his approach to constructing the Mishkan which seemed to differ from Moshe’s instructions where we will review an approach from Above to Below, vs Building up Below to Above, And perhaps the personal lessons we can learn from Besalel

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    53 分