The Torah portion of Masei begins (Bamidbar 33:1): “These are the journeys of the Children of Israel, who went forth from the land of Egypt according to their legions, under the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Following this verse, the Torah proceeds with an extended account of the different travels that the People of Israel…
It is said about the latter day Torah luminary R. Yaakov Kamenetsky that he was very exacting in adhering to the customs of his father and teachers. A story is told that his son once inquired why he did not eat cheese on Friday, to which he responded, “Because my father did not.” When his…
Towards the end of the Torah section of Matot, we read of the tribes of Reuven and Gad approaching Moses to request that they be allowed to settle the land on the other side of the Jordan River rather than settle the Land of Israel along with all the other tribes. After initially being reprimanded…
On the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan, Jews all over the world commemorate G-d’s presenting the Torah to their ancestors several thousand years ago. Leading up to this monumental event, the great medieval Biblical exegete known as Rashi cites the Mekhilta commentary on the verse (Sh’mot 19:2), “And Israel encamped there, opposite the mountain…
In the midst of the unfathomable turmoil and brutality that typified the Nazi era, R. Reuven Grozovsky (1886 – 1958) eloquently addressed the townspeople of Rassein who welcomed him and his students as they attempted to escape the Germans. While doing all in his power to survive himself and aid in the survival of myriads…
As the Jewish day of atonement, Yom Kippur, comes upon us, it is advisable to keep in mind a comment by R. Barukh HaLevi Epstein, author of Torah Temima, as he was once listening to a man denigrating others over what appeared to be senseless mistakes. The comment, made in the presence of and with…
As we approach the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days, known as Rosh HaShana, an anecdote involving one of our latter-day great Torah scholars can shed light on the direction in life that these days of introspection are to point us in. In his Mekor Barukh, R. Barukh HaLevi Epstein, translated in My Uncle the Netziv,…
In the Torah section of Vzot HaBracha, Moses offers a parting blessing to the nation he led through the desert. As a preface to his series of blessings to each of the tribes, we are reminded (Devarim 33:4), “The Torah that Moses commanded us is the heritage of the community of Jacob.” In commenting on the…
In the Torah section of HaAzinu, among Moses’ parting floral admonition and foretelling of the future of the Children of Israel whom he led through the desert, we read (Devarim 32:9), “For G-d’s portion is His people; [the children of] Jacob is the portion [literally “rope”] of His possession.” As regards this allusion to a…
In the Torah section of VaYelekh, we are enjoined, “And now, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the Children of Israel” (Devarim 31:19), the source for the Jew’s obligation to write a Torah scroll (Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh Deah 270). The question arises: Where can it be inferred from this verse that the…
