Weekly Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 32

June 17, 2023; 28 Sivan, 5783

Parsha In this week’s Parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu agrees to send spies into Eretz Yisrael (Israel) to scout out the land. These spies were the greatest men among the nation, as Rashi points out. And yet, despite being the righteous people that they were, they still returned from their mission with a very negative report about Eretz Yisrael.

The Midrash Rabbah (16:11) points out that there were two sins that the spies committed when they relayed their negative report to Bnei Yisrael (the Jews). They declared:

“And there we saw the Nephilim, the giant sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes.” (BaMidbar 13:33)...

Click Here To Download Or Print

Weekly Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 31

June 10, 2023; 21 Sivan, 5783

Parsha This week’s Parsha begins with the words to be relayed to Aharon, “When you lift up the lamps adjacent to the face of the Menorah, the seven lamps will alight.” (BaMidbar 8:2)

This Passuk (verse) is somewhat enigmatic. It appears to be saying that when Aharon lifts up the lamps to light them, the lamps will light. This would seem to be obvious, so what is the verse really telling us?

The Midrash Rabbah (BaMidbar 15:9) explains this Passuk with a quote from Tehillim (43:3), “Send Your light and Your truth, that they may lead me...” However, this too is perplexing. How does this quote explain the Passuk in this week’s Parsha?...

Click Here To Download Or Print

Weekly Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 30

June 3, 2023; 14 Sivan, 5783

Parsha Rav Yaakov Bistriz ZT”L, was the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah of Montreal, and a student of both the Telze Yeshiva and of the Lakewood Yeshiva. In this week’s Parsha, he poses a question about the Sotah. A Sotah is a married woman who was warned not to seclude herself with a certain man with whom there is suspicion that she may be having an inappropriate relationship. If she does not heed the warning and secludes herself with this individual and is then accused of infidelity, she has the right to prove her innocence. She drinks the “Waters of the Sotah” which is provided to her by the Kohein. If she is guilty of the sordid behavior, then the waters poison her and she dies. If she is innocent, however, then she receives a special blessing...

Click Here To Download Or Print