This week's parsha
Unless otherwise noted, "This week's Parsha" comprises articles taken from contributors to the Chabad.org website. We show the original author's name here, so that proper attribution is given. For the sake of brevity, footnotes cited in the original author's writings are omitted from this website. If you need to see the citations, please refer to the original articles on the Chabad.org website.
Sacred Moments
Does modern man and woman have any way to relate to the holy? Or is holiness, being close to G-d, something which eludes us because the pace of life is too fast, or because we are too materialistic, or because we are living in a secular society, or because times have changed...
According to Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812; founder of Chabad Chassidism), we can learn something about this from a phrase at the beginning of our Parshah. Ostensibly, it is speaking about "a person who wishes to offer an offering to G-d," in the sense of an animal offering -- something which would appear to concern only the times of the Temple. However, it is well known that each word of the Torah has several levels of meaning. The Hebrew word for "offer" and "offering" (yakriv/korban) also means "draw near".
According to Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812; founder of Chabad Chassidism), we can learn something about this from a phrase at the beginning of our Parshah. Ostensibly, it is speaking about "a person who wishes to offer an offering to G-d," in the sense of an animal offering -- something which would appear to concern only the times of the Temple. However, it is well known that each word of the Torah has several levels of meaning. The Hebrew word for "offer" and "offering" (yakriv/korban) also means "draw near".
How is the Money Spent
And Moses assembled all the congregation of the Children of Israel and said unto them: "These are the words which G-d has commanded that you should do them. Six days shall work be done but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a Sabbath of solemn rest to G-d..." (Exodus 35:1-2)
Some individuals, when approached with the suggestion that they begin to observe the Shabbat, respond with a question and a challenge: "Why do you talk to me about miracles? We live in a mundane physical world. I have a business on Fifth Avenue and I see that I earn much more on Saturday than on other days of the week!"
Some individuals, when approached with the suggestion that they begin to observe the Shabbat, respond with a question and a challenge: "Why do you talk to me about miracles? We live in a mundane physical world. I have a business on Fifth Avenue and I see that I earn much more on Saturday than on other days of the week!"
Priceless National Treasures
Occasionally, something that one hears or sees lends perspective to another unrelated matter. Something which you may have known all along suddenly crystallizes, and its magnitude sinks in. I recently experienced such an epiphany.
My wife and I paid a visit to our nation's capital. One of the highlights of the visit was a stop in the National Archives, an impressive building which houses more than nine billion(!) documents and articles which record all the important -- and many of the not-so-important -- events in United States history. The main attraction, however, is the majestic rotunda at the center of the building. From morning to night, a hushed line slowly creeps along, people patiently awaiting their turn to have a close-up glimpse of the "Charters of Freedom," the three faded documents showcased at the far end of the rotunda: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
My wife and I paid a visit to our nation's capital. One of the highlights of the visit was a stop in the National Archives, an impressive building which houses more than nine billion(!) documents and articles which record all the important -- and many of the not-so-important -- events in United States history. The main attraction, however, is the majestic rotunda at the center of the building. From morning to night, a hushed line slowly creeps along, people patiently awaiting their turn to have a close-up glimpse of the "Charters of Freedom," the three faded documents showcased at the far end of the rotunda: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
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