The Sedra Vayikra 5780
This week in Parshat Vayikra we explore the prohibition of Me'ilah, the improper use of sacred items donated to the Temple. Maimonides uses this law to teach a far reaching lesson about our attitude toward all Torah laws. He explains that if simple wood or stone can become sacred through a person's words, how much more should we respect the laws that God Himself wrote for us? Even when we encounter statutes whose reasons are not obvious, we must treat them with the same reverence as laws that seem logical. We should never view the holy as mundane or secular. [...]
The Sedra Ki Tisa 5780
This week we look at Parshat Ki Tisa, a portion filled with dramatic heights and depths. After the tragedy of the golden calf and the subsequent atonement, Moshe descends from the mountain with the second set of tablets. A peculiar detail emerges: his face was radiant with divine light, and the people were terrified to approach him. Why did they fear this light? While the Ramban suggests they thought Moshe had become an angel, Rashi teaches that their sin had changed their perspective. Before the golden calf, they could look at divine fire without trembling, but now even a reflection [...]
The Sedra Tetzaveh 5780
In this week's portion, we are commanded to build the altar for incense. This vessel is unique because it is mentioned separately from the other Tabernacle furniture. We learn in the Talmud that Moshe actually received a secret from the Angel of Death: that incense could stop a plague. We see this later in the desert when Aaron runs into the crowd to stop the death toll. However, we must remember that Judaism is not a religion of magic elixirs. The Ramban explains that the altar was designed to bring honor to God. The incense stops a plague because it [...]
The Sedra Vaera 5780
It is curious that Judaism puts little faith in miracles as a source of belief yet when God wants to demonstrate to Paraoh “My power, and in order that My fame may resound throughout the world,” God uses the miracles of the plagues. If God really wanted Paroah to believe in Him, shouldn’t God have addressed Pharoah directly? In contrast to the Jewish people at Har Sinai, God wasn’t looking to develop a long relationship with Paroah. God just needed Paroah to believe in Him enough to free the Jewish people. https://youtu.be/Js0XahRLnQw?si=lC1VHRtQCm4s9GuX
Uri Pilichowski on Sky News
In 2019, the Trump administration announced that it would no longer consider settlements in the Judaea and Samaria as illegal under international law. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the announcement and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that this was a great and important day in the history of Israel. Sky News Australia sent a reporter to interview Rabbi Pilichowski about his thoughts on the news, the Palestinian response, and his hopes and aspirations for the future. They spoke from Mitspei Yericho, on a spot overlooking the city of Jericho while discussing the history of the region and the [...]
The Sedra Pinchas 5779
In this week's video for Parshat Pinchas, we explore the incredible land of Israel and the division of its territory among the tribes. Israel is a stunning microcosm of the world, from the snowy peaks of the north to the blooming technology of the Negev desert. Naturally, some locations were more desirable than others, leading us to wonder how families felt about their specific inheritance. While Maimonides teaches that we all have free will to choose our spiritual path, our physical circumstances are often set by Divine Providence. Rashi explains that the land was divided by a lottery guided by [...]
