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.

Don't Get Lost in the Crowd

Published: 27 April 2010 | Written by Yitschak Meir Kagan

After the Exodus from Egypt the Jews were so eager to receive the Torah that they counted the days remaining to that great event. This was a prelude to the precept of counting the omer which they received later at Mount Sinai.

Throughout the ages, the counting of the omer has remained a preparation to receiving the Torah. When the forty-nine days of counting the omer come to an end, the festival of Shavuot (celebrating the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai) follows immediately.

Brotherly Love

Published: 20 April 2010 | Written by Mordechai Wollenberg

This week's Torah portion tells us to "Love your fellow as yourself."

The Talmud relates the story of the budding convert who came to the venerable sage, Hillel, and asked him to teach him the whole Torah whilst standing on one foot. Hillel replied: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the whole Torah--the rest is commentary..."

Rabbi Akiva considered love for one's fellow "a vital principle of the Torah."

Why did Hillel place so much emphasis on this particular precept? We can understand how it underlies those commandments which apply between our fellow man; but how does it impact on those commandments which apply between mankind and G-d? How is brotherly love related to keeping the Sabbath, or Kosher?

Words Are Real

Published: 12 April 2010 | Written by Mordechai Wollenberg

This week's Parshah discusses the avoidance of slander or gossip, Loshan Hora. It may sound blatantly obvious that a community will function better without gossip, slander and telling tales. Why did the Torah need to tell us? Yet like so many other things, if we take an honest look around us, we do need to be reminded about these values.

I was once at a synagogue where the rabbi got up and said that his dream was to create a community where nobody spoke slander or gossip, nobody spoke badly of anyone else. At the time it sounded rather simplistic and naïve, but on reflection it is a profound notion –- so many other problems which stem from malicious gossip, rumors, slander etc. can be avoided by cutting out the slander or gossip.