Shabbat shalom, everyone! Now, I know a dvar torah doesn't HAVE to connect to the parsha, but it's happening. This week's parsha, if you didn't already know, is Parshat Pekudei, the final parsha in sefer Shmot. The sefer concludes with this account of the mishkan and its other miscellaneous fastenings. Now, although we are in... Continue Reading →
Parshat Pekudei begins with a survey of the money and materials donated to the Mishkan. It is the Torah’s way of teaching us the need for financial transparency. We learn something about Jewish nature from both last week and this week’s parsha. Hashem told Moshe to ask Bnei Yisrael to make contributions. Some brought gold,... Continue Reading →
After many requests, here it is: drumroll please... Night Seder! Now you may be thinking, Isn't the seder always at night? Yes, it is. Night Seder in this context means night classes. This introduction to night seder includes three slots during the week when students can have optional chavrutot with friends. Here are merely a... Continue Reading →
We started the day at the Lodz Jewish cemetery. We went inside the funeral room and the room where they did the tahara. It reminded me of my father because he is in the local Chevra Kadisha. We learned about proper burial. One thing about this specific cemetery is that during the war, the Jewish... Continue Reading →
First, we went to a farm house in Markowa, near Lancut. The farm house originally belonged to a Polish family. They hid seven or eight Jews throughout the war. Eventually, someone ratted them out, and the Nazis killed everyone. People risked their own lives to save others. They could have easily said, “That's not... Continue Reading →
Yakira Ossip, Melbourne, Australia ויחן-שם ישראל נגד ההר -- And Israel encamped there, opposite the mountain. (Exodus 19:2) In the Pesach Haggadah, it is stated that "Had Hashem brought us before Har Sinai, but not given us the Torah, it would have been sufficient." These words are confusing because why would Bnei Yisrael simply... Continue Reading →
Chana Coughlan, Denver, Colorado In this week's parsha we learn about Yosef’s dreams and the deterioration of his relationship with his brothers. Yosef’s two dreams played a significant role in the resentment of the brothers towards him. The Beit HaLevi teaches that the Torah tells us that after the first dream the brothers hated... Continue Reading →
Dina Blank Beit Shemesh, Israel Educator at Machon Maayan since 2005 and Executive Director at Machon Maayan since 2012 How did you end up at Machon Maayan? It was 2004 and Meryl Lee lived on my street and was starting to open Machon Maayan. A few of my former students knew her and her... Continue Reading →
Alexis Gross, Cleveland, Ohio Shabbat Shalom! This week's parsha is huuuge. This is the parsha where Hashem gave us the Ten Commandments. It's the parsha where the Jews camped by Har Sinai and where we were told that we were the chosen nation, and where we were told that we are the chosen nation.... Continue Reading →
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