Corporate Torah

Shabbat Parshat Terumah Dvar Torah Terumah discusses  inter alia  the specifications for the vessels to be used in the Tabernacle. Of particular interest is the Arc which was the centerpiece of the Holy of Holies and contained the tablets from Sinai. While all the vessels of the Tabernacle had attachable poles for transport in the wilderness, curiously the poles of the Arc alone were commanded to remain permanently (resulting in a  Mitzva  prohibiting their removal) even in the Temple in Jerusalem. The  Netziv   suggests  that this is to accentuate that the Torah is timeless, is inherently equipped to be moved in perpetuity, timeless and relevant for the Jewish People in every place and every generation Trivia This Shabbat we will take out 3 Torah Scrolls from the Arc: one for Teruma, another for the Rosh Chodesh reading as well as another for Parshat Shekalim - the first of the “Four Parshas” which are appended until Pesach Shabbat in/out time...

  Shabbat Parshat Mishpatim Dvar Torah This week I feel compelled to share a Dvar Torah related mostly to current events: The first  Kinna  (lament) recited on the morning of Tisha B’Av begins “ Shavat tzura shimauni ocherei ”. Rabbi  Soloveitchik  explains that “Shavat”  implies a suddenness  to the destruction of Jerusalem. Although the people had been warned and the writing had been on the wall, when the  Hurban  actually occurred, it came as a shock – amplifying the tragedy to a whole new level. For many of us this has been the experience of the past few days. The pain and horror of the murder of the Bibas family, though perhaps intellectually foreseeable, still came as a terrible shock bringing back the searing pain of October 7th. This Shabbat however is also  Shabbat Mevorchim  for the month of Adar. It is the first formal announcement of the most joyous and auspicious month of the year ( Esther 9:22 ,  Taanit 29a )...

Shabbat Parshat Yitro **Favorite parsha of management consultants ( Ex. 18:13-27 )** Dvar Torah Moshe has a problem.  After  receiving the Torah at Sinai, all day, every day, he  has to adjudicate hundreds of disputes  in the new law and doesn’t have time for anything else. Yitro (Moshe’s father-in-law), suggests a simple solution – create a bureaucracy of courts for the thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens – letting the most difficult cases filter up. Why did Moshe need Yitro to suggest this obvious solution? Perhaps, after the awe and majesty of Sinai it was inconceivable to Moshe that Torah be given through a  filter . Yitro however, as an outsider who “missed out” on Sinai is able to suggest the delegation of Torah teaching – balancing the imperative of linking to Sinai with the need to disseminate and evolve Torah – naturally leading to our tradition of the  perpetuation ,  democratization , and  pluralism  of Torah Quote of the w...

Shabbat Parshat Beshalach Dvar Torah My father is fond of pointing out the discrepancy between the real-time narrative of the encampment at Mara (lit. bitter) in  Beshalach  and the chronicle of all encampments later in  Masei  (ahead of entering the Land of Israel). In the initial narrative, the lack of, and later bitterness of the water embitters the camp as well, tarnishing the majestic experience of the splitting of the sea just three days before. But in the latter chronicle, Mara is merely a footnote ahead of the oasis of Eilim, where scripture goes out its way to describe the numerous springs and dates there. When in Mara it is hard to see Eilim. But once you know of Eilim, stopping off in Mara is forgotten and the Torah is teaching us an important lesson in shaping our perspectives - ideally ahead of time as well Special for Beshalach - link to "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsJ1KTzSg48 Quote of the week “The...