by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on June 11, 2015
Parashat Shelach is as much a story of leaders as of the people. It is a story of leaders both poor and good. The poor leaders-ten of the twelve spies-saw the challenges that confronted them in the land of Canaan and ran: “We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we” (Bamidbar, 13:31).…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on June 4, 2015
After the camps are arranged around the Mishkan in Parashiyot Bamidbar and Nasso, the camp moves forward, beginning its trek through the desert in Parashat Behaalotecha. At the onset of the journey, two verses are set off from the rest of the text: “va’yehi binsoa ha’aron,” “And it was when the Ark would journey…,” and “u’vinukho yomar,” “And when it rested, he said…” (Bamidbar, 10:35-36). These…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on May 28, 2015
The book of Bamidbar begins with the organizing of the Israelite camp with the mishkan at its center. In Parashat Naso, the Torah now turns to what it means to be outside the mishkan, to be in the camp, and to continue to orient oneself to God’s presence.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on May 21, 2015
Prepared for publication from remarks made at the 2015 YCT Annual Tribute Dinner in honor of Sharon and Steven Lieberman.Many people today would be happy to set up camp at the foot of Har Sinai permanently. Just think about what it was like: We had received all the mitzvot; the Mishkan was built; the sacrifices were being offered on a regular basis; and the camp’s boundaries had been delineated, and it was protected.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on May 13, 2015
We finish our reading of Vayikra with the “blessings and the curses”: the rewards for keeping the laws and commandments and the punishments for breaking them. This section, coming as it does at the end of Vayikra, is clearly intended as a coda to what preceded it.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on May 6, 2015
Parashat Emor opens with the prohibition against a Kohen coming into contact with a corpse, which would make him impure due to his special kedusha, his priestly sanctity. Such impurity would compromise his kedusha and keep him out of the Temple.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on April 29, 2015
Parashat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim represents the transition from the first half of Vayikra to the second. The first half is focused solely on the Temple, its holiness and the sacrifices conducted therein. Tazria-Metzorah, the previous double parasha, continued this theme, detailing the various ritual impurities, the tumot, that would require a person to be sent out of the camp and prevent his or her access to the Temple.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on April 22, 2015
The double parasha Tazria-Metzorah details the laws of tumah, any impurity that would require people to maintain their distance from the Mishkan. The primary focus is on the metzorah, a person afflicted with the skin disease tzara’at, and how he is to become pure. …
by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot
Posted on April 21, 2015
There is no more fitting way to commemorate the memory of HaGaon Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, zt”l, through the learning of Torah. In honor of Rav Lichtenstein’s 80th birthday, we presented a series of shiurim on the Thought of Rav Lichtenstein as part of our annual Yemei Iyun in Tanakh and Jewish Thought.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on April 16, 2015
After many months of construction – and many parshiyot devoted to its narrative – the Mishkan is finally dedicated and made operational in Parashat Shmini. On the eighth and final day of the inauguration, Moshe introduces the final series of sacrifices to the Children of Israel with the declaration that, if they are properly brought, “the Glory of the Lord will appear ” (Vayikra, 9:6).…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on April 1, 2015
The central mitzvah of the Seder night is sippur yitziyat Mitzrayim, telling the story of the exodus from Egypt. The simplest way to do this would be to open Shemot and read the narrative directly from the Torah. This experience would certainly be more engaging than reading the story in the Haggadah – there is greater detail in the Torah, the plot is more dramatic, and, as one of my students recently pointed out, there are the characters, the actors who make the story interesting.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on May 10, 2013
Good Hodesh! I hope you are all well and are getting ready for the upcoming Chag. As we know, Shavuot, from the Rabbinic perspective, celebrates the day of the Giving of the Torah. Interestingly, while the simple sense of the verses indicate that it was the men, and not the women, who were being addressed in the lead up to Matan Torah (“Prepare yourselves for the third day – do not draw close to a woman”), Hazal underscore that women were equal participants in standing at Har Sinai and receiving the Torah (“‘So you shall say to the house of Jacob, beit Yaakov‘ – these are the women.”…
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