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In our most ideal state, the Jewish Nation is described as “A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation.” We are all Kings! The Talmud teaches that in Olam Haba, all the righteous who merit an invitation will be adorned with a resplendent crown atop their heads, and be basking in the pleasure of God. In this Mishnah we discover the nature of those crowns.
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Our parsha contains an unusual sequence: The nation is about to leave Sinai, and Moshe makes a prolonged, and unsuccessful, appeal to his father in law, Jethro, to remain with him. Then there is the strange episode of the backwards-facing NUNs. Then the nation commits two grievous sin back to back. Moshe then tells God that he can bear the nation no longer he needs lieutenants, And finally, God tells him to appoint 70 elders to help him lead the people. In this podcast, we ask a series of questions on this sequence, and share a powerful insight into how people change and the threats they will face.
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Accidents happen. Generally speaking, the Torah overlooks things that happen unintentionally. If someone accidentally sins, the Almighty forgives him. Yet the Mishnah teaches that an accident in Torah study is tantamount to a willful, negligent blunder. Why are matters of Torah treated so harshly?
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Marriage is the centerpiece of the Jewish family. But what happens when people want to take shortcuts, and fulfill their carnal desires without the hassle of marriage?
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Whether marital intimacy occurs with the intention to create a child or not, this episode is a must listen for every couple. The negative middos that one is born with are a result of improper thoughts and actions in the Holy of Holies, our bedrooms. Rabbi Yaakov Cohen shares incredible insights from the Zohar that will enable a couple intending to become pregnant the methods for bringing down a soul without blemishes, allowing those children to become the tremendous sources of light that will enable Tikkun Olam for us all. And for those whose marital intimacy is not for the expressed purpose of impregnation the impact in the spiritual realm is equally beneficial.
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A central tenet of Jewish philosophy is that every individual is unique – a world onto their own – and is entrusted by God with a unique, tailored mission. That principle is found several times in our parsha. But how do we discover what our mission is? In the past, that question would be addressed to prophets. In our non-prophet world, finding our life-mission is much tougher. But our parsha gives us some pointers in that quest too.