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Nasso/Shavuot - (Bamidbar/Numbers 4:21-7:89)
Love is in the air as Israel stands at the foot of Mount Sinai, ready to receive Torah and betroth themselves to G-d, a wedding whose anniversary we celebrate this week on Shavuot. This week's parasha, Naso, makes many a meaningful reference to the happenings at Mount Sinai.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Bamidbar/Shavuot - (Bamidbar/Numbers 1:1-4:20)
G-d knows your name. He's got your number. Torah is His to share with you. All its paths lead to Him. And all you've got to do is ask? No! All you've got to do is dedicate your every moment to living a life of Torah, and He will open each and every door. It's your birthright. This is what we learn from parashat Bamidbar, the opening chapters of the book of Numbers, and this is the message of the holiday of Shavuot - coming up next week!
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Behar-Bechukotai - (Vayikra/Leviticus 25:1-27:34)
Wanted: Dead or alive! There is no doubt that G-d loves and wants His people Israel. Either we are alive to His presence, and worthy of the blessings listed in Behar-Bechukotai, or we are dead to His presence, and thus deserving of the horrific admonitions enumerated in Behar-Bechukotai. The choice is ours.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Emor - (Vayikra/Leviticus 21:1-24:23)
Eternal life cannot be found in an ointment or lotion, or salve, or cream, or pill, or capsule. It cannot be swallowed or applied. It cannot be purchased or consumed. Eternal life awaits us all and can be experienced in this world via the Divine service of the Holy Temple.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Acharei-Kedoshim - (Vayikra/Leviticus 16:1-20:27)
We merit to live in the land of Israel, promised by G-d to His people, because of the supreme sacrifice of those who defend the land, the people and the Torah of Israel with their lives. "You shall be holy, for I, HaShem, your G-d, am holy." (Lev. 19:2)
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Tazria-Metzora - (Vayikra/Leviticus 12:1-15:33)
Try imagining a world where every word counts, where every thought and intention counts. This is the very world that G-d created and intended for His children to sanctify. This is the world described in Tazria-Metzora. It is a world that we can and should aspire to.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Shemini - (Vayikra/Leviticus 9:1-11:47)
We cannot make eternal the holiness of the moment by abandoning ourselves to it. We master and make eternal the holiness of the moment by infusing the minutiae of our everyday lives with holiness. This is the lesson we take away from the untimely deaths of Nadav and Avihu, the holy sons of Aharon.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Tzav - (Vayikra/Leviticus 6:1-8:36)
The timeless beauty of the korban - offering - is to draw the man - the adam - the G-dly image implanted within each and every on of us, closer to our Creator. Much misunderstood, the korban sensitizes and enhances our humanity and deepen our understanding of where we fit in the grand scheme of things which is G-d's plan for His creation.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Vayikra - (Vayikra/Leviticus 1:1-5:26)
Inside the Tabernacle we return to Gan Eden and to the pristine, sacred and intimate relationship with G-d that was intended from the very start.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Vayakhel-Pekudei - (Shemos/Exodus 35:1-40:38)
"Generous hearted, wise hearted, uplifted heart, inspired heart... " The building of the Tabernacle is the work of the heart of an entire people to create a heart for the nation, a heart for all mankind and a heart for the world. Now space, like time (Shabbat), is sanctified, and G-d's creation is complete.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Ki Sisa - (Shemos/Exodus 30:11-34:35)
The worship of the golden calf was a dead end street. Torah is a way of life that believes in life and the eternity of life and the Source of all life. The cult of the golden calf worshiped the comfort of mortality and the death-escape from responsibility Some religions worship the dead and others relish death. Torah is life.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Tetzaveh - (Shemos/Exodus 27:20-30:10)
Everyone needs clothes. From the first garments that G-d made for Adam and Chava, to the clothes we choose for ourselves today, what we cover ourselves with reflects the essence of our inner beings. But the garments that the Kohen Gadol - High Priest - wears reflect the will of G-d and are provided for by all of Israel. The beauty and splendor they radiate are the beauty and splendor of our relationship with G-d.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Terumah - (Shemos/Exodus 25:1-27:19)
The sublime beauty, limitless embrace and unifying power of the Tabernacle, and later the Holy Temple, are all contained within the first sacred vessel Israel was commanded to build: the Ark of the Covenant. Just 2.5 cubits long, 1.5 cubits wide, and 1.5 cubits high, made of acacia wood and gold, and constructed by the hands of man, the Ark nevertheless managed to straddle the expanse between our finite world and our endless source.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Mishpatim - (Shemos/Exodus 21:1-24:18)
The Sinai revelation takes place in a desert no man's land, but the entire Sinai experience is a prequel and a dry run to the Daily Tamid Service of the Holy Temple through which the covenant at SInai is renewed, reconfirmed and made eternal each and every day.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Yisro - (Shemos/Exodus 18:1-20:23)
At Mount Sinai G-d stretched Israel's capacities to the limit. Her senses turned upside-down, her reality turned inside-out, it was Israel's unconditional embrace of the new role that G-d assigned her as caretaker of the universe, that gave her the strength to withstand the unbearable closeness of her encounter with G-d and make it through the Sinai rendezvous.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Beshalach - (Shemos/Exodus 13:17-17:16)
Election Day in Israel: Like crossing the Sea of Reeds - nothing more and nothing less. An entire nation steps into the unknown, determined to shape its own destiny as one people, guided by their eternal faith in the G-d of Israel. It was breathtaking then, and it's breathtaking now.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Bo - (Shemos/Exodus 10:1-13:16)
No direction home? This is the inside-outside story of the Passover offering in Egypt and on which side of the door jamb the blood was spread and why and what's the reason for it.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Va'eira - (Shemos/Exodus 6:2-9:35)
Torah takes great pains to emphasize Moshe's humanity in this week's Torah reading. Yes, the great savior of Israel, the man who would speak with G-d face to face, was just that - a man, mortal and fallible like the rest of us.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Shemos - (Shemos/Exodus 1:1-6:1)
To trust and to trust not. Total trust must exist between a true leader and his people. This is the lesson that G-d choreographed using Yaakov's final words to his children and Moshe's initial concern over whether Israel would receive him.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Vayechi - (Bereishis/Genesis 47:28-50:26)
When Yaakov asks of Yosef "Who are these?" it is not because his eyes are dim or that he does not know Yosef's sons intimately. It is because in his prophetic mind's eye he see the boys' greatness in the future redemption of Israel, which is taking place today. His words are not a question but an exclamation of sublime joy and approval.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Vayigash - (Bereishis/Genesis 44:18-47:27)
The seismic shocks, the tectonic rumblings, the pulsating magnetic fields could all be felt from one end of creation to the next when Yehudah drew near to Yosef in their battle for custody of Binyamin. Neither brother was willing to abandon Binyamin and that's what G-d wanted to know! When Yosef revealed his true identity to Yehudah and the others, they all realized that they could lay down their arms: It was all in G-d's hands!
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Mikeitz - (Bereishis/Genesis 41:1-44:17)
The story of Yosef's descent into the darkness of Egypt and his rise to leadership coincides each year with the eight day festival of Chanukah. They likewise share the same deep lesson: All of life's seemingly chaotic randomness is, in truth, directed by G-d. Our role is not merely to trust in G-d's benevolence but to work without rest to insure our own part in His great plan. This is what distinguished Yosef and this is what distinguished the Chashmonean kohanim who led the Jewish revolt against the Greek oppressors.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Vayeishev - (Bereishis/Genesis 37:1-40:23)
"Hineni - Here I am!" - without question or condition, full of readiness for self sacrifice, to go beyond the call of duty, to perform the word of HaShem. This is the response of Yosef to Yaakov's instruction to him to seek out his brothers in Shechem, and this guileless willingness to throw himself whole heartedly and without reservation into G-d's great plan for mankind in order to do his part - this is what distinguishes Yosef from his brothers at the outset of Vayeshev, and this is what propels him to a position of great prominence and power in the land of Egypt and the royal court of Pharaoh.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Vayishlach - (Bereishis/Genesis 32:4-36:43)
Yaakov avinu's (our forefather Jacob's) midnight encounter with a mysterious angel: Who was this angel, what was his purpose, and by what name was he known? Yaakov overcomes the angel, and by doing so gains insight into all these questions. He also acquires for himself a new name, a new identity, and a new role to play in establishing the Divine presence here on this earth.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Vayeitzei - (Bereishis/Genesis 28:10-32:3)
Yaakov our patriarch laid his head down on the site of the altar upon which Yitzchak his father had been bound, and rose up with the knowledge that this was the very place from which Avraham had declared, "G-d will be seen." This is the Temple Mount of today, and it is incumbent upon the children of Yaakov/Yisrael that the One True G-d is seen from this place.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Toldos - (Bereishis/Genesis 25:19-28:9)
The work of the patriarchs, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov was to establish in this world an eternal bond between man and G-d. Toldot chronicles the struggle for supremacy between two radically different approaches toward leadership: the way of Yaakov, and the way of Esav. Esav excelled in so many ways he seemed a natural for the part. And after all, he was the first-born. There was but one thing missing from Esav's understanding of life: the fear and the acknowledgment of G-d. Forever stymied by his own egotistical take on life, Esav languished, while Yaakov assumed the mantle of leadership.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Chayei Sarah - (Bereishis/Genesis 23:1-25:18)
Sara imenu -- our matriarch Sara -- was a woman of unparalleled beauty and spiritual strength, whose power of prophecy was greater, our sages teach us, than that of her husband Avraham. Yet, according to Midrash, she was ultimately felled by an enemy common to us all: the satan who feeds on our own fears and casts stumbling blocks along our way.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Vayeira - (Bereishis/Genesis 18:1-22:24)
Why was Avraham avinu interceding on behalf of the wicked people of the decadent city of Sodom? Was he your typical bleeding-heart liberal who can't distinguish between right and wrong? On the contrary, Avraham was showing his faith to the one true G-d and to the role that G-d granted him as guarantor of humanity.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Lech Lecha - (Bereishis/Genesis 12:1-17:27)
Avraham avinu traveled far into his own being in order to discover the Source and Supreme Guide of all creation, but the relationship he forged with G-d and the role he assumed for himself as citizen of G-d's domain was firmly based in this world and firmly founded on the principle of personal responsibility.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Bereishis/Noach - (Bereishis/Genesis 1:1-11:32)
The first lesson we are taught by Torah concerning the ten generation epoch spanning from Adam to Noach is that man's behavior toward his fellow man has a direct and powerful effect on the natural world around him. Proper human conduct is a prerequisite for any effective environmental activism to succeed in preserving the magnificent ecosystem that G-d has blessed us with. A civilization that loses its moral compass will come crashing down, and take the natural world with it. A cautionary tale.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Yom Kippur 5773: The Meaning of the Book of Life
Time is the marking of change. What folly it is to let time change us by not using time to change ourselves: G-d has blessed us with this year, this season, this day of Yom Kippur By admitting our past errors, by coming clean, by standing before G-d and changing ourselves for the better we can transcend time. We can transcend life itself by taking on the challenge of Yom Kippur, to be ourselves, our true selves, as never before.
Gmar chatima tova - May we inscribe ourselves in the Book of Life!
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Nitzvaim / Rosh HaShanah Greeting 5773 - (Devarim/Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20)
The final Torah reading of the year relates the final words of Moshe to Israel on the final day of his life on earth. His words speak of spiritual beginnings, potential , and national destiny. "You are all standing here today..." resilient, renewed and ready to pass through into the new year and into the fulfillment of your covenant with G-d. May we all be blessed with light and harmony, peace and sweetness in the new year.
by Rabbi Chaim Richman of the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
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ב״ה
