Parsha Naso 5771: Unity and Fair, Honest Dealings Between Jews; Toward Ger’im, Ba’alei Teshuva and Newly Arrived

by Moshe Burt

Please Note the UPDATE Below!

With Shavu’ot coming 3 days after Shabbos Parsha Naso, there are various common threads between Shabbos Parsha Naso and Chag HaShavu’ot. There is the thread of national unity expressed by the Kohanim in the Birchat Kohanim, the thread of diversity and unique expression within unity exemplified by the 12 repetitions of the same offering brought by each of the Sh’vatim at the inauguration of the Mishkan, and the thread regarding the importance of caring for the Ger Tzeddik. read more

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Parshat Bamidbar 5771: Diversity Within Unity Toward Bringing the Ge’ula Shlaima

by Moshe Burt

Our Parsha Bamidbar speaks of the spiritual beauty and innovation which results from diversity within a unity — within uniformity. This uniformity is well expressed by the Ohr HaChayim who mentions 3 prerequisites for unity, in Parsha Yithro:

  • – Real. objective, concrete effort, devoid of external influences.
  • -Modesty; Har Sinai symbolizes the anavah needed to accept Torah.
  • -Kol Eretz Yisrael B’Yachad – A national unity where everyone is on the same page.

Once getting past the numbers crunching of the census, our Parsha speaks of Degalim: the flags of the Sh’vatim (Tribes), as a paradigm of Unity, yet which expresses diversity within the various components, all of which play essential roles within a collective unity. Within a unity, there is room for integration and cooperation of diverse individual and group attributes, skills, strong points and actions when channeled toward the common goals of Unity, i.e. the common goals of B’nai Yisrael: read more

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Parsha Bechukotai 5771: The Tochocha and a Jew’s Connection With Eretz Yisrael

by Moshe Burt

Our Parsha Bechukotai is but another in the series of Parshiyot usually paired with the one it preceeds, in this case Parsha Behar, as a doubleheader.

Therefore, yet another opportunity exists to emphasize, in another way, the connection between the Jew and Eretz Yisrael.

In Parshat Behar, Hashem instills in us to parallel the laws of Shabbos: six days you shall work and you shall rest, refrain from all manner of avodah on the seventh day… to keep it Holy, just as in emulation of Hashem’s creation of the universe; with the laws of Shemittoh: ‘I will command My blessing during the sixth year and it will provide produce for three years’ we see beyond the Hatam Sofer’s explanation that: read more

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Parsha Behar 5771; Thoughts on Shemittoh and the Bond Between Jew and HIS Land

Moshe Burt

Rashi asks a critical question on the very first posuk of our Parsha:

“Hashem spoke to Moshe on Har Sinai, saying…” (Parsha Behar, Vayikra Perek 25, posuk 1)

Rashi asks why the laws of Shemittoh are singled out as having been given at Sinai. Were not all of the Mitzvot said at Sinai?” He answers that just as all of the Mitzvot; their general rules and their specifics were taught at Sinai, so too were the general rules and specifics regarding Shemittoh taught at Sinai. Rashi then reasons that the posuk comes to teach us that every utterance said to Moshe, they were all from Sinai. read more

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