Rabbi Binny Freedman – I was desperate to get a day off; we were still in basic training, and I had barely been in the army three months, but my folks were landing at the airport the next afternoon, and I was hoping my commanders would give me a break as I had not seen head or hair of any family in the two months since I had joined up.
It is interesting to note, that this section of the Torah[2] is actually the portion that we read on all the Jewish fast days (save Yom Kippur), perhaps alluding to the fact that this is the essential question of every fast day: we fast and pray, and attempt to repent, in an effort to change G-d’s mind. But how can we expect G-d to change His mind?
by Rabbi Binny Freedman – Rosh Yeshiva – Yeshivat Orayta
Can I get in touch with the very real notion that I am meant to be a vehicle for light? Being a vehicle for G-d, being able to see myself merely as the wick for the flame….
What, indeed, is the seemingly incomprehensible preoccupation we seem to have with land and can any piece of property ever be worth fighting, much less dying for?
This week’s portion, Terumah, introduces us to one of the most challenging concepts in Judaism.
“And they shall make for me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in their midst.” (Shemot 25:8)