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The Torah Learning Library of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah

Category: Torah

Holiness, Self-Restraint, and Personal Growth

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on March 28, 1998

Parshat Shmini opens with the culmination of the process of inducting Aaron and his sons into the priesthood. For seven days they had offered the same sacrifices and repeated the same ritual. Now, on the eighth day, a special ceremony was performed to inaugurate the sanctuary and their role in it as priests.…

Mitzvot, Monotony, and Meaning

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on March 21, 1998

Parshat Tzav continues with a discussion of the sacrifices to be brought in the Sanctuary, this time from the perspective of the priests that do the service. It concludes with a seven-day induction of Aaron and his sons into the priestly order.…

A Mitzvah of Belief?

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on February 2, 1998

In parshat Yitro, we reach the climax of the Exodus story. It has been just seven short weeks since God demonstrated His might to the Egyptians and Israelites, and now the Children of Israel arrive at Mount Sinai to directly encounter God, receive His commandments, and become a people, His people.…

Faith in God, Not Playing God

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on December 15, 1997

Parsha Vayigash opens with the climactic moment in the Joseph saga. After having forced his brothers to bring down Benjamin by holding Simeon captive, Joseph plants his silver chalice in Benjamin’s bags and demands that Benjamin remain in Egypt as his slave.…

The Test of God’s Silence

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on November 22, 1997

Chaye Sarah relates the events of Abraham’s life that follow the akedah, the binding of Isaac. Sarah, Abraham’s wife of many years, dies and Abraham acquires a burial plot for her in the land of Cannan. Abraham then sends his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac, and, on the successful completion of the mission, Abraham remarries, fathers more children, and finally dies.…