SHAYNA MANHEIM SPECIAL TO LNP|LANCASTERONLINE I was nine months pregnant when we moved to the green house on a quiet street in the suburbs. Having already begun my maternity leave from my job, I was happy to have unpacking to fill my days. Of course, that may have occupied my hands, but it left my
Two Lessons from Queen Esther’s Story By Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky While you are reading these lines, you are probably getting ready to celebrate Purim. As we all know, Purim is a joyous festival in which we dress in costumes, eat hamantaschen and hear the reading of Megillat (or scroll of) Esther. We also send gifts
Parashat Terumah 5781
B¨H
Rabbi Daniela Szuster
“Creation of the World and the Building of the Miskan (Tabernacle)”
This week´s parashah begins with God´s order to collect donations in order to build the Mishkan and then we have all the instructions Moses received on how to build it. Some sages found that there are many similarities, common action verbs and expressions between the description of the building of the Mishkan and the story of the creation of the world. There are so many similarities that many sages believe it couldn’t be a coincidence. I would like to share with you those similarities through the following table and then, highlight the underlying message this comparison will reveal.
Torah Thoughts: Parashat Mishpatim 5781
Be a Mensch!
Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky
This week we read parashat Mishpatim (literally, laws or rules). The vast majority of the Torah text that comes before this parasha is a continuum of stories about the origins of the people Israel. This includes the stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs and the exodus from Egypt. However, in parashat Mishpatim we are presented with a long list of laws, most of them civil ones.
Torah Thoughts: Parashat Yitro 5781
The Meaning of the Structure of the Ten Commandments
B”H
Rabbi Daniela Szuster
One of the main topics of this week’s parashah is the revelation at Mount Sinai. This historic event is one of the most significant in Jewish history because it was when God gave the Torah to the people of Israel. At this event, the entire nation experienced a singular revelation and took upon itself to obey the commandments of God when they said “Na’aseh ve’nishma,” “We will do, and we will hear.”