Introduction The Torah (Leviticus 23:40) commands the Israelites to take four species on Sukkoth and rejoice before Hashem for seven days. This article will focus on the mechanics of this mitzvah (e.g. bundling the 4 species, proper way of holding these species, the blessings, and waving them). A companion article examined this commandment using the …
Sukkoth – Four Species Overview Introduction The Torah (Leviticus 23:40) commands the Israelites to take four species on Sukkoth and rejoice before Hashem for seven days. This article will examine this commandment using the pardes method of exposition (i.e. literal meaning, exegesis, allusions, and secrets of the Torah), drawn from the Torah, Talmud, Midrash, and …
Introduction The Torah (Deuteronomy 31:7 and 31:23) speaks of two different leadership styles, consultative and authoritative, respectively with respect to Joshua leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. Leadership styles are influenced by: Personality of the leader (consultative or authoritative). Level of the people (disciplined and educated or not). Context of the country (peace time …
Introduction Parshat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9) introduces the major roles in the commonwealth of Israel, shown here in order of priority (Horayot 13a): Judges – judicial branch Kings – executive branch Priests – ritual branch Prophets – social and religious critics and teachers As the Talmud (ibid.) states when a sage passes away, we …
Introduction The Sefer Hachinuch, written in the 13th century in Spain, is a compendium of the 613 commandments of the Torah based upon the book of mitzvoth written by Maimonides. In the introduction to the Sefer Hachinuch the author list six commandments that apply to all Israelites, both male and female, and for all time, …
Introduction The Torah in Deuteronomy 30:1-10 discusses the fate of the Israelites in the messianic era. In particular verse 6 states that Hashem will “circumcise the hearts” of the Israelites at that time. By contrast, Moses (ibid. 10:16) commands the Israelites to “Circumcise their heart and not be stiff-necked.” This article will discuss the context …
Introduction The Sefer Hachinuch, written in the 13th century in Spain, is a compendium of the 613 commandments of the Torah based upon the book of mitzvoth written by Maimonides. In the introduction to the Sefer Hachinuch the author list six commandments that apply to all Israelites, both male and female, and for all time, …
Introduction The Torah relates that Jacob disguised himself as his brother Esau to secure the blessings from his father Isaac (Genesis 27:14-27). On the surface this act of deception is unbecoming of the patriarch Jacob who is described as a man of truth, as the verse states (Micah 7:20), “Ascribe truth to Jacob”. This article …
Introduction The personage of Hur is mentioned briefly in the Torah and leads to the following questions: Who was Hur? What happened to him? This article will answer these questions following the pardes method of exegesis starting with the Torah and then analyzing related citations in the Talmud, Midrash, and Zohar. Literal Meaning – פשט …
Introduction The Torah briefly describes the descent of the Israelites to slavery but does not provide answers to the following questions: How did Pharaoh change his mind about the Israelites? Who were the advisers to the plan of slavery? What roles did they play in the enslavement? What relevance does this story have on the …
