Torah Commentary

Torah Commentary

God Assures Moses: "You’ve Got This"

The parashah of Chol HaMo-eid Pesach begins with Moses feeling anxious. God instructs Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt, but Moses is nervous. Moses tries to decline God’s mission. It’s as if he says, "God, I totally want to do this for you, but I don’t know how, and I can’t do it by myself. I really need your help!"

The Kohanim as Sacred Chefs

Reading through Tzav is like peeking into a world-class chef's bustling kitchen. The kohanim were like master chefs, following a biblical recipe.

Developing a Modern Prayer Practice Around Korbanot

I've always loved animals. Even when I was a child, every single animal struck me as intelligent. They all had distinct personalities. I started feeling from an early age that it was my duty to take care of all the animals, and indeed, I did just that! As a child, I had two guinea pigs, one rabbit, one dog, three cats, and many fish.

Why so Quiet?

Children, and teenagers especially, are often told to think about what they say, and how they say it. Instead of speaking cavalierly, it's best to speak carefully and in a measured manner. In fact, perhaps it's best to listen more than speak. This is a lesson many of us could benefit from, and this week's parashah could help us.

Splitting like a Fig

We often encounter paradoxes in life, things that appear to be mutually incompatible. Paradoxes sometimes appear in the unlikeliest places, and they deserve our close attention, like the one hiding in this week's parashah.