Bamidbar Lema'seh Beit Midrash Articles Place and Parashah Bamidbar Categories Bereishit Shemot Vayikra Bamidbar Devarim Subscribe to our Newsletter Full Name Email I agree to the terms of use and privacy policy of the site. Matot Masei: The Jordan River On Israel's longest river, the site of the miraculous crossing of the Jewish People into the Land of Israel. A spiritual and physical border. What are the... Read More Chukat: The Purification by the Wicked Sichon's politics are of interest to us because he "purged" Ammon and Moav. Wicked people can also "purge" by removing confusion. In Ammon and Moav tithes are... Read More Parashat Shelach: The Unique Mitzvah of Challah The parasha praising the Land of Israel includes only one of its special mitzvot, and an exceptional one at that. Rabbi Soloveitchik explains that this teaches... Read More Parashat Korach: Self-actualization, Ideology, and Ma'aser Rishon On the drive for self-actualization vs. rectifying the world and harnessing these drives in the individual's service of G-d. How does this connect to ma'aser... Read More Parashat Baha'alotecha: sanctity of holy scriptures vs. sanctity of teruma The difference between the innately sacred and sanctified physicality. Also: the varying definitions of a "distant journey" to Jerusalem for the Pesach... Read More Parashat Naso: Flour and Torah, the ultimate recipe for revealing G-dliness in the world The reliance of Kohanim and Levi'im on charity from people is surprising, but it teaches us an important concept about implementing G-d's goal of creation. We... Read More Parashat Bamidbar: The desert: not a place for (land-dependent) mitzvot While the desert isn't a suitable venue to infuse G-dliness into the world of action, it can prepare the nation before its entry into the confusing "real... Read More Parashat Matot-Masei: Stop! Border Ahead The Land of Israel has not one but three (!) sets of borders, each indicating different levels of holiness with practical halachic ramifications. On the role of... Read More Parashat Balak: Bar Kochba “A star rises from Jacob” Archeological findings indicate that Bar Kochba observed the mitzvot hateluyot ba’aretz and was religious. Rabbi Akiva even believed him to be Moshiach. So why... Read More Parashat Pinchas: A True Lottery Yehoshua’s answer to Achan teaches us something about the essence of the lottery system and quite a lot about proper conduct in our lives. The lottery... Read More