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The Torah Learning Library of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah

Category: Tetzaveh

Adar: The Month of Inclusion

by Rabbi Dr. Eli Yoggev
Posted on March 2, 2023

We are in the month of Adar and Purim is just around the corner. What spiritual work should we be focusing on during these special days?  The Shem Mishmuel (Pikudei 5) teaches us that the month of Adar is parallel to another month on the Jewish calendar, the month of Elul.…

Response to Failure

by Gabriel Greenberg
Posted on February 10, 2022

As a parent or an educator, there is a challenge which can come up routinely. When our child or our student misbehaves, what should we do?  There are different strategies and approaches that one can take. One can be critical. One can get upset.…

Can a Person Write a Megillah in English? – Purim, Unity, and Diversity

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on February 25, 2021

We know that a sefer Torah must be written in Hebrew. But what about a Megillah? The answer to this question is rooted in how we look at Purim. Is Purim a holiday of unity or one of diversity? The theme at the end of the Megillah is one of unity.…

Zakhor and Megillah For Those Under Quarantine

Question: Can people under quarantine fulfil the mitzvah of megillah by listening on the telephone or by participating via Zoom or the like?  What can these people do regarding listening to parashat Zakhor?   Summary: For megillah – One may rely on those Aharonim who rule that a person fulfils his or her obligation.…

Atonement and Peace

by Rabbi Jon Kelsen
Posted on February 23, 2018

In Parshiyot Terumah and Teztaveh, the Torah describes the instructions for the construction and inauguration of the Mishkan, alongside the installation of Aaron and his sons as kohanim. Aaron, brother of Moshe, is established as High Priest, chief functionary of the Mishkan.…

The Ultimate Arbiter of Checks and Balances

by Rabbi Avi Weiss
Posted on May 21, 2016

Built into an open democratic system of government is the idea that too much power should not be invested in any one individual. Such a policy leads to dictatorship and the forcing of a community to comply to the demands of one person.…

Do Clothes Make the Man?

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on February 17, 2016

After completing the detailed description of the Mishkan and its furnishings in Terumah, the Torah turns to the priestly garments to be worn by Aharon and his sons in Tetzaveh. The two parshiyot open in very similar ways. In commanding the building of the Mishkan, the Torah also states the purpose it is meant to achieve: “And you shall make for Me a Sanctuary, and I shall dwell in your midst” (Shemot, 25:8).…

To Carry the Names Before God

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on February 25, 2015

The kohanim hold a lofty position among the Jewish people. They serve before God in the Beit HaMikdash, protecting the Temple and executing all its functions. They are a fixture in the Temple; when one enters, he or she expects to see the kohanim in their priestly service as much as the glorious structure and all the vessels it contains. …

Inclusion Doesn’t Happen by Accident

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on February 7, 2014

The lighting of the menorah opens our parasha: “Command the Children of Israel and they shall take to you pure olive oil, beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn tamid, constantly.” (Shemot 27:20) The placement of these verses is curious, as the more appropriate place would have been in last week’s parasha, together with the making of the menorah.…

A Thought On The Parsha 34

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on February 22, 2013

This Shabbat is Shabbat Parashat Zakhor when, as a lead up to Purim, we read about the mitzvah to remember Amalek: Remember what Amalek did to you by the way, when you came forth out of Egypt…. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies… that you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget it.…